Life after the game--injury profile of past elite Australian football players.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the long-term health and well-being of past elite Australian Football League (AFL) players, with particular emphasis on the effect of playing injuries on current lifestyle.


METHODS
Cross sectional survey.


METHODS
A health and well-being survey, completed by past AFL players (n=592) with mean (±SD) age of 55.1 y (±15.8) and playing career of 7.7 y (±4.1) sought information on demographics, education and employment, subjective well-being, lifestyle behaviours, physical health, disease prevalence, community and social structures, and playing history.


RESULTS
A majority of past players experienced serious injuries (76%) and concussion (73%) throughout their career, both increasing significantly with the number of games played. Of those who received injuries, 60% require on-going treatment, yet only 6% receive treatment costs covered by their club or the AFL Players' Association. A large proportion (64%) of respondents are affected in daily life from previous AFL injuries.


CONCLUSIONS
AFL careers are compounded by high injury rates, including loss of consciousness with a high incidence of multiple concussions amongst those players reporting a serious injury. Greater number of injuries received will further the likelihood of requiring on-going treatment and being affected later in life. Additional research and planning may be important in assisting other improvements in the quality of life of past AFL players.
School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, The University of Western Australia, Australia.
Tyler
T
King
Michael
M
Rosenberg
Rebecca
R
Braham
Renee
R
Ferguson
Brian
B
Dawson
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005538:Football / Q000293:injuries*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012179:Retirement