Young Queensland athletes’ knee injuries more than double
Hospital data is showing a spike in young Queenslanders forced to get knee reconstructions, one specialist blaming three popular sports.
Queensland’s Mater hospitals recorded a 171 percent spike in knee reconstructions for young patients aged 18 and under in the past decade. The number has risen from 68 in 2015 to 184 in the year to June 2025.
Other studies also have shown increases in anterior ligament (ACL) injuries across Australia, according to one hospital specialist.
Dr Mike Reid, orthopaedic sports specialist at Mater Private Hospital Brisbane and Springfield, blamed the increase to the growing popularity of AFL, soccer and netball.
“In sports like AFL and soccer we’ve seen a big increase in female participation, and rightly so, but there’s a higher incidence rate of ACL ruptures in girls than boys,” Dr Reid says.
“Anatomical differences play a role, and hormonal fluctuations contribute by making ligaments more lax and susceptible to injury.”
ACL injuries are a tear or sprain of key knee ligaments that can require reconstructive surgery and 12 months recovery. Uninsured patients could wait up to a year before undergoing surgery.
Dr Reid urged parents and coaches to monitor children’s physical development, especially during times of rapid growth when they were more susceptible to injury.
“If a young person is fatigued, be aware that is when they are most likely to push that little bit further but not have strength to support their joints, and then suffer an injury,” Dr Reid says.
He also encouraged young people to undergo more comprehensive warm-up routines beyond just running laps, particularly recommending the FIFA 11+ warm-up routine.
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This covered 15 exercises, recommended to be performed at the start of training at least twice a week. Exercises included slow running with active stretching, core and leg agility, strength and balance exercises, and high speed running with pivoting movements.
Dr Reid said studies showed this warmup reduced injuries in boys by 30 percent and 60 percent in girls.
Dr Reid successfully treated 19-year-old Connor Campbell without surgery, who tore his PCL at school sports day aged 17. With the help of a physiotherapist, Campbell was back to playing soccer and captaining Brisbane City FC Under 23s.
Campbell’s 17-year-old sister Hayley also tore her ACL but needed knee reconstructive surgery. After prompt assessment and diagnosis, she had since started Dr Reid’s treatment program.
“I see my injury as an opportunity to work on myself and to learn from the sidelines – but it is tough to be out of playing soccer for so long,” Hayley said.
