Pat’s Tips | Why ruckmen are at greater risk of PCL injuries

The PCL is another of the major ligaments inside the knee.

It sits alongside the ACL, running in the opposite direction through the middle of the joint, and plays an important role in keeping the knee stable.

Unlike the ACL, the PCL is rarely injured through an awkward landing or a quick change of direction.

Instead, it usually takes a very specific type of impact.

A heavy blow to the upper shin-bone, just below the knee, forces the shin backwards.

If the force is large enough, the PCL can rupture, much like a rope snapping when it's pulled beyond its limit.

Fortunately, this type of injury mechanism isn't all that common in contact sports.

Most collisions tend to involve the upper body or thighs rather than a direct blow to the front of the knee.

There is, however, one position on the footy field where the risk is noticeably higher—the ruck.

When two ruckmen leap to contest the ball, they naturally drive one knee up in front of them.

It helps protect them from the opposing ruckman, who is doing the same thing.

Unfortunately, when those raised knees collide, one player's upper shin can cop a significant blow, placing their PCL at risk.

The AFL has recognised this injury mechanism for many years and has made several rule changes to try to reduce these heavy knee-on-knee collisions.

If you watch games from the 1980s, you'll often see ruckmen charging in from 20 metres away to contest the centre bounce.

Introducing the centre circle limited the run-up and reduced the momentum they could build before contact.

More recently, when the AFL changed many centre bounces to ball-ups, there was concern that the more predictable flight of the ball would encourage ruckmen to attack the contest harder, potentially increasing the number of PCL injuries.

I shared that concern, but thankfully we haven't seen the spike in injuries that many expected.

That's good news for the big men of our game, and hopefully it stays that way.