FootyGoss :: Club News - Collingwood [Clubs need to be more conservative when it comes to injuries: Doctor]

The Herald Sun reports that sports medico Dr Peter Larkins has suggested clubs should take a more conservative approach to the rehabilitation of players nursing hamstring injuries.

After Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley re-injured his hamstring against Carlton on Saturday, Larkins told the Sunday Footy Show yesterday that clubs should consider extending the recovery period.

"I think we've got to look at the history of recurrences of hamstrings," Larkins said.

"I'm conservatively predicting he (Buckley) will miss four to six more now, that's 10 weeks he's missed. I'm not picking on Collingwood's management, I'm talking about AFL player management across the board, because the recurrence rate is going up -- the Matty Richardsons and the Joel Smiths.

"If you take six to eight (weeks) in the beginning, you're likely not to have the recurrence, and that's got to be the mindset of match committees or clubs.

"Doctors are struggling with this because they know the AFL is the only sport at a high-profile level where that sort of injury comes back that quickly."

Saturday was Buckley's first game in four weeks, and the latest setback could take up to six weeks to heal.

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