The effect of fatigue from Australian Rules Football on postural control in the lower limb

Previous laboratory style research has shown that fatigue worsens postural control and proprioception at the ankle. The purpose of this research was to test the effect of fatigue due to a game of Australian Rules football has on postural control, and therefore the relevance of previous research to a sporting environment. The method of analysis was a uni-lateral standing balance test. The frequency of toe touches and therefore loss of balance over a 30 second period were calculated before and after a game. The dominant leg increased significantly from 2.65 to 4.03 toe touches, whilst the non-dominant leg recorded a non-significant increase from 3.06 to 3.19 toe touches. A significant difference in the change from pre-to post game was also noted between dominant and non-dominant legs. Effect size data supported these findings. This research demonstrates that a player becomes significantly fatigued on the dominant leg during a game of football. This may indicate an increased risk of injury on the dominant side as a player becomes fatigued during the game. This minor thesis was written by a post-graduate student as part of the requirements of the Master of Health Science (Osteopathy) program