You won’t believe how many cruciate injuries are happening in the GAA every month

From Henry Shefflin to John Galvin, cruciate ligament injuries are becoming the biggest fitness issue in the GAA, and the numbers struck by the serious injury are huge.

According to an excellent report in today’s Irish Independent by Martin Breheny, 39 players a month are hit with cruciate injuries, more than one a day on average. In total 470 cruciate injuries were registered with the Players' Injury Scheme in 2011, the body charged with paying out the insurance to GAA players.

The article states that the payouts for all injuries cost €8million in 2011, with cruciate injuries now the third highest claimants, after non-cruciate knee injuries and shoulder injuries.

Of the 470 players to suffer the cruciate injury, the spilt between Gaelic Football and hurling was over two to one in favour of the big ball (319/151) but that is probably down to the much larger numbers playing football rather than any extra danger in Gaelic football.

There doesn’t seem to be any consensus as to why this particular type of injury is on the rise but it is clear that it is affecting the game in a way never seen before. Some put it down to modern boots or the more intense games and training but there is no hard evidence to back up any of the claims.

In total, 5,992 injuries warranted a pay-out from the scheme in 2011, with the usual misery list of teeth, finger and back injuries filling out the remainder of the most common injuries.