Why Do Injuries Happen? What Can We Learn From Will Day's Unfortunate Shoulder Injury
"As a Hawthorn supporter and Physio, Will Day's latest injury is terrible news - but it does give us a chance to reflect upon why we get injured."
As a long-time Hawthorn supporter and a Physiotherapist who has spent two decades treating everyone from weekend warriors to elite athletes, this morning's news about Will Day has hit hard. Seeing arguably one of the AFL's most exciting young talents suffer yet another long-term setback - this time a potentially significant shoulder injury - is genuinely disheartening.
But beyond the footy headlines and the immediate concerns for Will's wellbeing, this unfortunate moment does provide us with an opportunity to talk about something I'm passionate about: why injuries happen.
There's been plenty of recent focus on AFL injury lists, with debate even centering on whether or not players are having "too much time off".
And while these are valid points for discussion, they often miss the bigger, more helpful picture.
The Core Insight
An injury like Will Day's shoulder is less likely to be a random accident. Instead, it's typically the last straw or the moment something relatively hidden is exposed.
Whether you're an AFL footballer or someone dealing with a niggling issue, understanding this idea is crucial to finding the necessary perspective needed to not only fully recover, but to give yourself the best chance of never having to go through it again.
The Last Straw: "Why" Matters More Than "How"
When someone like Will Day walks into a clinic with a dislocated shoulder, the immediate question is often, "what happened?" The more important question, however, is "why did it happen?"
After treating tens of thousands of patients with this at the front of my mind, a clear pattern has emerged: the moment of injury is rarely the start of the problem. Yes, it's still likely the official moment you became injured or sore, but it's unlikely that everything was perfect beforehand. In a way, it can't have been.
Related: Inside the AFL's Injury Crisis: Are We Missing the Bigger Picture?
Clinically, I find this important moment likely occurs when a tissue cannot cope with the load it's forced to endure, thanks to the environment it exists within. But in a perfect world, it should.
This Applies to "Random" Niggles
The pain that appeared out of nowhere, a sore back from gardening, or a stiff shoulder.
This Also Applies to Acute Traumas
A tackle that dislocates a shoulder or a fall that tears an ACL. While the force is extreme, it often picks on a pre-existing, hidden vulnerability.
Rethinking the Usual Suspects: What We Blame vs. What's Really Happening
Let's play a quick game. Mentally tick off the reasons we intuitively blame for a past pain or injury:
The Perspective Shift
In theory, none of these should be considered a root cause. Many are just good at exposing hidden dysfunction. Most are normal human experiences that just test the robustness of our body's function. The bigger issue is identifying where we might be lacking in that function.
Based on what we understand about the body and how it functions, we know that normal things shouldn't cause abnormal things. We know the body is an amazing piece of machinery whose normal baseline is not being injured. We know it has a plan for injury, of course, but I think we can all agree that while being injured is certainly common, it's not normal.
With this perspective in mind, we know that ageing, growing, moving your body, and repetitively using your body are also normal. We are programmed to age and grow. Moving the body is not only important, but crucial to give us the best chance of maintaining optimal function. Furthermore, repetitively using our body is how it gets better at things.
So why do we blame them?
Often, it's because they are the thing that makes the most immediate and intuitive sense, without a better explanation.
"I woke up this morning with a sore knee. I didn't have it yesterday, I am a day older, so maybe it's just an age thing."
"I woke up with a sore neck. It wasn't sore yesterday, and the only thing that happened was that I slept on my pillow and mattress. Maybe I slept funny."
"My left Achilles has started to hurt when running, so maybe it's an overuse thing."
"AFL players are given a ridiculous 93 days off post-season and a Christmas break, and then launch back into competitive training unconditioned. So... maybe that's it."
The Will Day Case Study: Looking Beyond the Incident
So, what might we look for in a case like Will Day's shoulder issue? While I don't have his specific medical history (I would love to, by the way, if any of the good folk at Hawthorn want to work together), our thinking needs to go far beyond the instant his shoulder unfortunately popped out.
The key question isn't just "How did it happen?" but "What was present there before it happened?"
From what I've come to understand, I would be immediately interested in these three things:
- Shoulder Internal Rotation: Did he have normal shoulder internal rotation range of motion - typically about 90 degrees, or was it restricted?
- Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) Mobility: Were the joints and soft tissues through his upper spine and ribcage free or restricted?
- Daily Postural Habits: What shapes does he unknowingly get his body into when he's not playing footy?
The first two are often a direct result of the third. Modern life - driving, studying game tapes, sitting in on team meetings, using a phone, playing Call of Duty, relaxing - often encourages a rounded, slouchy shoulder posture. Over time, the passive hanging weight of the arm and shoulder complex can cause the tissue at the back of the shoulder and upper back to adaptively tighten over time.
The Critical Biomechanical Consideration
When the shoulder receives trauma, instead of having the tissue capacity to absorb that force safely, it can run into a restriction, take the path of least resistance around that restriction and more easily "pop out".
From my clinical perspective, this is why strength training alone, while obviously vital, sometimes isn't enough to prevent injury or re-injury. We need to make sure we aren't missing those hidden restrictions while working hard on any obvious strength and stability issues.
To understand how posture plays out in real life, even for elite athletes, consider these moments:
Images like these are just a snapshot in time and may not be indicative of how Will truly positions himself when he's sitting. But clinically, these are the very same shapes that many people get into when doing basic, sedentary things.
Ideally, I'd love to see someone like Will displaying the positions and shapes highlighted in the video below to make sure that the way he's loading his neck, shoulders and back is closer to the ideal.
At the end of the day, it's the same body he uses when sitting as it is when he's in the gym lifting weights, or on the track running around. We just don't think of it in the same formal way. But we need to.
If we don't, we again leave the door ajar for tissue to become stiffer, tighter, weaker, and unnecessarily dysfunctional over time - reducing our inherent ability to tolerate normal and abnormal things.
From AFL to Everyday Life: Your Practical Takeaways
The goal here isn't to sink the boot into Will Day or the great staff around him at the Hawthorn FC, but to use his unfortunate situation to highlight what I've found to be important clinically. Ideally, I want to help everyone - fan, athlete, or office worker - prevent injury and build a more resilient body.
If a part of your body is painful or injured, take the time to explore around it for clues as to why. Start with these simple questions:
- Is something above or below the area stiff, tight or restricted? A knee issue may mean you are lacking some hip or ankle mobility. Lower back pain may suggest that your hips or thoracic spine need to move better.
- Is something above or below the area weaker than it should be? That same sore knee may not be a consequence of stiff hips but weaker ones instead. It could be the same case with back pain.
- Are its corresponding spinal levels dysfunctional? This one is a personal favourite of mine, and something I don't think we explore enough in the industry. If your knee hurts, have you checked out the base of your ribcage and the top of your lumbar spine for referred pain or dysfunction? If you've got tennis elbow, hand and finger RSI, or something like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, have you taken the time to look at your neck? Use Dermatome, Myotome and Nerve Root charts to help guide you.
Another Core Insight
The human body is a closed system. Everything is connected to something else and governed by your spine. Look beyond your injury for clues as to why it may have been set up to fail when it did.
Your 4-Step Action Plan:
Audit Your Shapes
Pay attention to your static postures and shapes during the day, most likely when sitting. Do you slouch through your neck and shoulders? Are you creating an isolated hinge in your back? Are you symmetrical? Remember, we aren't talking pain here; we're talking the accrual of hidden dysfunction.
Prioritise Mobility
Locate and improve any areas that lack mobility. Start with the spine and work your way out to the periphery. Strength matters, but most people forget about full range of motion.
Think Holistically
Your body is that closed system. A stiff hip can affect a knee, a foot, an ankle, a lower back and other things like a pelvis. A stiff upper back can affect a neck, a shoulder, a lower back, and a chest, among other things as well. Look above and below the affected area, and consider relevant spinal levels.
Seek the "Why"
Don't just blame the tired clichés of "age" or "overuse." Ask what is being exposed rather than just focusing on what's potentially exposing it.
Final Perspective: Building Your Injury-Resistant Body
"The conversation around injuries needs to shift from blame to understanding."
It's not about "too much time off" or "bad luck." It's not about training too hard or overusing something. It's about how our modern world shapes our bodies behind the scenes, and how the physical demands of life and activity test out these potentially compromised capacities.
For Will Day and Hawthorn, the recovery process may again be a long, frustrating, and arduous journey - especially if yet another surgery is required. But it should also be about uncovering and addressing any underlying factors that may have left him vulnerable in the first place. That way, he can not only return to play with full function, but flourish and have the best chance to reach his undoubted potential - without the looming spectre of re-injury constantly bearing down on him.
For you, it's about applying the same principles. By focusing on restoring and maintaining optimal movement and function in your daily life, you can build/rebuild a body that's not just stronger, but more mobile and more resilient - better preparing it for whatever life, or the footy field, throws at it.
Once again, I want to emphasise that this article is in no way meant to speak negatively about Will Day, the Hawks' fitness and medical teams, or the Hawthorn Football Club itself. I know for a fact they do an amazing job, and I hope this is taken in the spirit that it's intended. After all, I'd love to get my hands on some of the Hawks' players and have a look under the hood to see what I can find. I'd genuinely love to help in any way, shape or form.
Leave me a comment down below, and let's talk injuries and injury prevention!
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