Gaelic football players have a lower risk of injury than rugby players or Australian footballers but experience a higher injury rate than soccer players, new research reveals.
Researchers from the Department of Physiotherapy at Trinity College Dublin found that almost half of injuries suffered by players were moderate in nature and resulted in absence from the sport for eight to 21 days.
Fiona Wilson, a lecturer in physiotherapy, and her colleagues followed 83 male senior club players from three counties over a six-month period.
They recorded the injuries experienced by players and the exact time spent playing and training.
The injury rate was 13.5 injuries per 1,000 hours spent either playing or training. Almost twice as many injuries occurred during matches compared with training. And some 10 per cent of injuries were caused by foul play.
Researchers defined an injury as one that caused a player to miss one training session or match or that required at least one treatment.
Bruises were the most common type of injury recorded, accounting for almost 30 per cent of injuries.
Muscle strains (23 per cent) and ligament sprains (18 per cent) were the next most common. Some 10 per cent of injuries resulted in a fracture.
The study, published in the current issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that more injuries occurred in the second than the first half of games.
Some 30 per cent of Gaelic football injuries occurred in the fourth quarter of a game. And the player position most likely to cause injury was goalkeeper.
"Gaelic footballers have been shown to be heavier and taller than soccer players. Greater size and weight increases the momentum involved in physical contact and, therefore, increases the risk of injury," the researchers said.
Noting the effect of professionalism on injury rates should not be underestimated, they said: "Senior club footballers may not receive the same conditioning and preparation as professional athletes and may be more predisposed to injury than professional athletes as a result."
A surprising finding, according to the authors, was the poor use of professional treatment of Gaelic football injuries.
Less than 20 per cent of the injuries sustained during the study period were treated by a health professional. Most of these received treatment from a physiotherapist.
"All injured players treated by physiotherapists resumed playing activity within three weeks while most self-treated injuries required in excess of three weeks to heal," the authors note.
"This suggests that professional treatment resulted in a quicker return to sport after injury."
Asked about the implications of the study's findings for the GAA, Ms Wilson said the association should consider the results from the perspective of player welfare.
"It should be ensured that players have access to good professional treatment of injuries. Further, the reason why foul play resulted in so many injuries should be reviewed - perhaps rule changes are required."