@article{ref1,
title="Greater association of relative thresholds than absolute thresholds with noncontact lower-body injury in professional Australian rules footballers: implications for sprint monitoring",
journal="International journal of sports physiology and performance",
year="2019",
author="O'Connor, Fergus and Thornton, Heidi R. and Ritchie, Dean and Anderson, Jay and Bull, Lindsay and Rigby, Alex and Leonard, Zane and Stern, Steven and Bartlett, Jonathan D.",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="1-25",
abstract="PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between sprint workloads using relative vs absolute thresholds and lower-body soft-tissue and bone-stress injury incidence in professional Australian Rules Football (AF). <br><br>METHODS: Fifty-three professional AF athletes' noncontact soft-tissue and bone-stress lower-body injuries (N = 62) were recorded and sprint workloads were quantified over ~18 mo using GPS. Sprint volume (m) and exposures (n) were determined using 2 methods: absolute (>24.9 km·h<sup>-1</sup>) and relative (>75%, >80%, >85%, >90%, >95% of maximal velocity). Relationships between threshold methods and injury incidence were assessed using logistic generalized additive models. Incidence-rate ratios (IRR) and model performances' area under the curve (AUC) were reported. <br><br>RESULTS: Mean ±SD maximal velocity for the group was 31.5 ±1.4, range 28.6-34.9 km.h<sup>-1</sup>. In comparing relative and absolute thresholds, 75% maximal velocity equated to ~1.5 km·h<sup>-1</sup> below the absolute speed threshold, while 80% and 85% maximal velocity were 0.1 km·h<sup>-1</sup> and 1.7 km·h<sup>-1</sup> above the absolute speed threshold, respectively. Model AUC ranged from 0.48 to 0.61. Very low and very high cumulative sprint loads >80% across a 4-wk period, when measured relatively, resulted in higher IRR (2.54-3.29), than absolute thresholds (1.18-1.58). <br><br>DISCUSSION: Monitoring sprinting volume relative to an athlete's maximal velocity should be incorporated into athlete-monitoring systems. Specifically, quantifying the distance covered at >80% maximal velocity will ensure greater accuracy in determining sprint workloads and associated injury risk.  Keywords: Australian Football<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1555-0265",
doi="10.1123/ijspp.2019-0015",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2019-0015"
}