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The 13,000km injury gamble: What the NFL’s Melbourne trip could mean for players

Two NFL teams are taking opposite approaches to the most extreme travel challenge in their sport - what does the science say? 

Key points:

• Hamstring injuries are among the most common soft-tissue injuries in American football.
• Yet to be published NFL-funded research involving Professor Opar looked at why some players are more susceptible to hamstring injury and the factors that may increase the likelihood of injury and reinjury.
• ACU athlete sleep and recovery expert Professor Shona Halson said crossing multiple time zones will likely disrupt sleep, reduce alertness and increase fatigue.

The NFL's 13,000km journey to Melbourne could provide a test of how travel, disrupted sleep and fatigue affect the risk of soft-tissue injuries in elite athletes, according to world-leading ACU researchers.

As the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams prepare for Friday’s historic clash at the MCG, the teams have taken strikingly different approaches to one of the biggest challenges of the trip - how to deal with the body clock disruption?

The 49ers arrived in Melbourne a week before the game to acclimatise while the Rams plan to arrive just a day before kick-off and maintain their US-based routine.

World-leading hamstring expert Professor David Opar, who was involved in a $4 million NFL-funded research program looking at hamstring injuries in more than 600 players, said the contrasting strategies highlighted the difficult balance between adaptation to time zone, recovery and preparation.

“It really is unchartered territory,” Professor Opar said.

“Much of the discussion has focused on the implications for performance after flying 13,000kms to play highly competitive sport within 24 hours but what that means in terms of injury risk is really a big unknown.”

Hamstring injuries are among the most common soft-tissue injuries in American football with the NFL investing heavily into their causes, prevention and treatment.

The yet to be published NFL-funded research involving Professor Opar looked at why some players are more susceptible to hamstring injury and the factors that may increase the likelihood of injury and reinjury.

Early findings show prior hamstring injury is the strongest risk factor for future injuries - increasing the risk by up to four times.

Professor Opar is also the only Australian practitioner working with medical staff and performance coaches on the NFL’s Lower Extremity Soft Tissue Injury Task Force, which collects and analyses injury data from across the league.

ACU athlete sleep and recovery expert Professor Shona Halson said crossing multiple time zones will likely disrupt sleep, reduce alertness and increase fatigue.

“Long-haul travel which involves crossing multiple time zones can interfere with athletes’ sleep,” she said.

Professor Halson’s research has found long-haul travel can reduce sleep duration and efficiency, particularly during the first 48 hours after arrival while increasing fatigue.

“An acute loss of sleep impacts cognitive processing which can impair decision making and reduce reaction time,” she said.

The Melbourne game presents an unusual challenge with players facing a major time-zone shift and a 10.35am local kick-off while having to manage training, sleep, nutrition and recovery.

The 49ers have built their preparation around adaptation, including morning training sessions to adjust players to the early kick-off.

The Rams are taking the opposite approach, arriving shortly before the game to minimise disruption and keep their body clocks closer to Los Angeles time.

Professor Halson said the Ram’s approach means they will be playing at a time that is similar to their usual playing time, in terms of their body clock.

“They also do not have to re-adapt to the US time zone when they return,” she said.

“Traveling east is generally more difficult to adapt to, so the 49ers may be a distinct disadvantage for their next game in the US.”

Media Contact: Elisabeth Tarica, Australian Catholic University on 0418 756 941 or [email protected]