The Herald Sun’s Sam Edmund has revealed Gold Coast’s Tom Lynch is managing a restrictive PCL injury, which has influenced his performances this season.
“He (Lynch) is playing hurt, and probably playing far more hurt than what a lot of people would realise,” he told SEN Breakfast.
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“It’s the ongoing PCL injury that ended his season early last year, required a month of rest this year and it’s now so bad, it’s swelling up weekly, he can’t get up and down the ground, he has told the Suns when he gets even the slightest knock in the right spot, that’s it.
“I spoke to a number of medical experts last night, and one of our favourites Dr Peter Larkins says, the PCL is such an underrated injury in terms of its complexity. He said they’ve done 1,800 ACL reconstructions at the Epworth in the past two years. They’ve done 14 PCLs.
“There’s two reasons for that. One is the PCL is far more complicated in the operation, prone to infections and all sorts of setbacks.
“The second is 95 percent of the time, they think rest can fix it.
“AFL clubs traditionally haven’t given their players enough rest.
“The only course of action now is, if it doesn’t heal with rest, is surgery.”
The likes of Grant Birchall, Jarryd Roughead, Luke Hodge, Nakia Cockatoo and Cyril Rioli have all dealt with PCL injuries.
Lynch has kicked just 15 goals in eight appearances this season, while being courted by multiple Victorian clubs as he comes out of contract.
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