As a sports physiotherapist who has spent over 15 years treating everything from weekend warriors to elite athletes, I watched the recent Port Adelaide vs. Geelong clash with a mixture of excitement and professional concern.
The match showcased brilliant football, but it also highlighted a growing issue in the AFL: the increasing frequency of hamstring injuries.
The sight of Patrick Dangerfield clutching his hamstring and limping from the field was particularly sobering.
At 34, Dangerfield represents the older cohort of AFL players who face unique challenges when it comes to soft tissue injuries.
His grimace as he pulled up lame was all too familiar to those of us who treat these injuries regularly, and unfortunately, it’s a scene we’re witnessing more frequently across the competition.
Read more on how Patrick Dangerfield and Jason Horne-Francis were part of an extraordinary injury toll in that match in this article from The Weekly Times.
The perfect storm of modern AFL
Several factors have contributed to the surge in hamstring injuries we’re seeing in today’s game.
The modern AFL demands unprecedented levels of speed, power, and endurance from players.
The game has evolved into a high-intensity, full-ground contest where players are required to produce explosive sprints repeatedly throughout a match.
This places enormous stress on the hamstring muscle group, which consists of three muscles running down the back of the thigh: the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus.
The congested fixture, particularly evident during certain periods of the season, leaves players with minimal recovery time between matches.
When you combine this with the physical demands of training, players’ bodies often don’t have adequate time to repair and adapt, leaving them vulnerable to injury.
Age and the hamstring: Dangerfield’s challenge
Patrick Dangerfield’s injury brings into sharp focus the relationship between age and hamstring vulnerability.
As someone who has personally experienced multiple hamstring injuries throughout my 40s, I can attest to how differently these injuries present in older athletes compared to younger ones.
After age 30, several physiological changes occur that increase hamstring injury risk.
Muscle fibre composition shifts, with a gradual loss of fast-twitch fibres that are crucial for explosive movements.
Collagen turnover slows, making tendons and muscle fascia less elastic and more prone to tears.
Recovery times extend, and the risk of re-injury increases significantly.
For Dangerfield, this isn’t just about getting back on the field quickly; it’s about implementing a comprehensive approach that acknowledges these age-related factors.
The temptation for any elite athlete is to rush back, but hamstring injuries have a notorious recurrence rate of up to 30% if not properly managed.
The hamstring re-injury cycle
What makes hamstring injuries particularly frustrating is their tendency to recur.
Once you’ve had one hamstring injury, you’re significantly more likely to suffer another.
This creates a cycle that can be difficult to break, especially for older players like Dangerfield.
The reasons for this high recurrence rate are multifaceted.
Scar tissue formation can create areas of weakness or altered muscle mechanics.
Players often return to play before achieving full strength and flexibility restoration.
Additionally, compensatory movement patterns developed during the initial injury phase can persist, placing abnormal stresses on the healing tissue.
In my own experience with recurrent hamstring issues, I’ve learned that patience and comprehensive rehabilitation are non-negotiable.
The frustration of sitting on the side-lines is real, but it pales in comparison to the setback of a re-injury that could have been prevented with proper management.
Dangerfield’s road to recovery: the next four weeks
Based on current best practice for hamstring rehabilitation, Dangerfield’s recovery program over the next four weeks would likely follow a structured progression:
Week 1-2: acute management and early mobilisation
The initial phase focuses on pain and inflammation control while beginning gentle movement.
Dangerfield would engage in pain-free range of motion exercises, gentle stretching, and isometric strengthening exercises where the muscle contracts without changing length.
Pool-based exercises often feature prominently during this phase, as the buoyancy reduces load while allowing movement.
Week 2-3: progressive strengthening
As pain subsides, the focus shifts to rebuilding strength through the full range of motion.
Eccentric exercises, where the muscle lengthens under tension, become crucial.
These might include Nordic hamstring curls, single-leg Romanian deadlifts, and prone hamstring curls with increasing resistance.
Week 3-4: functional rehabilitation
The final phase before return-to-play considerations involves sport-specific movements.
Dangerfield would progress through running drills, starting with straight-line jogging and advancing to change-of-direction exercises, acceleration, and deceleration training that mimics AFL demands.
Prevention is the best medicine
For the football-loving public who visit their local physiotherapy clinics, the lesson from Dangerfield’s injury is clear: prevention trumps treatment every time.
Regular hamstring strengthening, particularly eccentric exercises, flexibility maintenance, and proper warm-up protocols can significantly reduce injury risk.
As physiotherapists, we see too many recreational players who neglect these fundamentals until they’re sitting in our clinics with a torn hamstring.
Whether you’re 20 or 50, your hamstrings deserve the same attention you’d give any other aspect of your fitness.
The increase in AFL hamstring injuries serves as a reminder that even elite athletes with access to world-class medical support aren’t immune to these injuries.
For the rest of us, consistent prevention strategies and respect for our body’s limitations, especially as we age, remain our best defence against joining the hamstring injury statistics.
Find your closest Lifecare clinic to get started on your journey to stronger, more comfortable movement.
Muscle cramps are sudden, involuntary contractions or spasms in one or more muscles.
Written by Tim Barnwell, APA Sport and Exercise Physiotherapist and Practice Principal, Lifecare Cockburn Physiotherapy
Tim Barnwell is an APA Sport and Exercise Physiotherapist and Practice Principal at Lifecare Cockburn. With over two decades of clinical experience, Tim specialises in musculoskeletal and sports injury management. He has held leadership roles within the Australian Physiotherapy Association and worked with elite teams including the Western Sting, Palmyra and Cottesloe Rugby Clubs. Tim also serves as a postgraduate supervisor and sits on the Physiotherapy Board of Australia’s Registration and Notifications Committee.