Dr John Orchard
People_

Dr John Orchard

AM MBBS BA MD PhD FACSEP FFSEM(UK) FACSM CCPU
Adjunct Professor
Public Health, School of Public Health
Phone
+61 2 93518118
Fax
+61 2 93518123
Dr John Orchard

John Orchard AM is a sport and exercise physician with over 20 years experience. John obtained his medical degree from the University of Melbourne (1989) and completed his Sports Medicine Fellowship in 1996. He has a PhD in sports injury epidemiology from the UNSW (1999), an MD by thesis from the University of Melbourne (2006). John is an Adjunct Professor, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney and has published over 300 scientific papers and is highly cited with an H-index of 64 (64 publications with at least 64 cites on Google Scholar, Apr 2022).

John is currently the Chief Medical Officer for Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW, and was medical director for the Cricket World Cup 2015. He was previously a team doctor for the Sydney Roosters NRL team (1998-2013), the Sydney Swans AFL team (1994-1997) and the NSW State of Origin team (2000-2006) and a Sports Medicine Fellow at the Australian Institute of Sport (1993). He provided injury surveillance consultancy services for the Australian Football League from 1992-2014.

Dr Orchard's research interests include sports injury epidemiology, tendinopathy, muscle strains, the relationship between ground and surface conditions and injury, sports cardiology, cricket and football injuries.

Regular ongoing teaching is provided to registrars on the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians advanced training program, particularly those based at the Sports Medicine at Sydney University clinic. Dr Orchard occasionally accepts local and overseas medical students for long-term research internships and special projects (but not clinical internships as he only works part-time in clinical practice due to cricket duties).

John Orchard was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in January 2020 for significant service to sports medicine, particularly cricket

Obesity, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, Healthy Ageing

Selected publications

Publications

Books

  • Orchard, J. (2009). Soft Tissue Injuries in the Australian Football League 1992-2008. United Kningdom: LAP - LAMBERT Academic Publishing.
  • Orchard, J. (2009). The Relationship Between Ground Conditions and Injury in Football. Australia: LAP - LAMBERT Academic Publishing.

Book Chapters

  • Orchard, J., James, T., Kountouris, A., Farhart, P. (2011). Cricket injuries. In Mike Hutson, Cathy Speed (Eds.), Sports Injuries, (pp. 506-510). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Seward, H., Hoskins, W. (2011). Epidemiology and injury surveillance in sports medicine. In Mike Hutson, Cathy Speed (Eds.), Sports Injuries, (pp. 110-117). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Phelps, K. (2011). Sports Medicine. In Phelps K, Hassed C (Eds.), General Practice: the integrative approach, (pp. 637-647). Sydney: Churchill Livingstone.

Journals

  • Davis, A., Orchard, J., McGhie, J., Broadbridge, D., Raju, H., La Gerche, A., Puranik, R., Gray, B., De Jongh, J., Driscoll, T., Orchard, J. (2025). Comparison of 6-lead smartphone ECG and 12-lead ECG in athletes and a genetic heart disease population. Expert Review of Medical Devices, 22(1), 99-105. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J. (2025). Rock, paper, scissors: Resolving the conflicting results of randomized trials involving corticosteroid, platelet rich plasma (PRP) and placebo injections. JSAMS Plus, 5, 100081. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Driscoll, T., Davis, A., Driscoll, E., Orchard, J. (2024). Comparison of cancer and all-cause death rates of Australian rock and pop musicians, footballers, cricketers and the general population. JSAMS Plus, 4, 100070. [More Information]

Research Reports

  • Orchard, J., Kountouris, A., Sims, K., Orchard, J., Beakley, D., Brukner, P. (2015). Injury Report 2014 - Cricket Australia, (pp. 1 - 25). Australia, Australia: .
  • Orchard, J., Seward, H., Orchard, J. (2014). Australian Football League Injury Report 2013, (pp. 1 - 27). Melbourne, Australia: Australian Football League.
  • Orchard, J., Blanch, P., Kountouris, A., Sims, K., Orchard, J., Paoloni, J. (2014). Injury Report 2013 - Cricket Australia, (pp. 1 - 42). Jolimont, VIC, Australia: Cricket Australia.

2025

  • Davis, A., Orchard, J., McGhie, J., Broadbridge, D., Raju, H., La Gerche, A., Puranik, R., Gray, B., De Jongh, J., Driscoll, T., Orchard, J. (2025). Comparison of 6-lead smartphone ECG and 12-lead ECG in athletes and a genetic heart disease population. Expert Review of Medical Devices, 22(1), 99-105. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J. (2025). Rock, paper, scissors: Resolving the conflicting results of randomized trials involving corticosteroid, platelet rich plasma (PRP) and placebo injections. JSAMS Plus, 5, 100081. [More Information]

2024

  • Orchard, J., Driscoll, T., Davis, A., Driscoll, E., Orchard, J. (2024). Comparison of cancer and all-cause death rates of Australian rock and pop musicians, footballers, cricketers and the general population. JSAMS Plus, 4, 100070. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Rio, E., Crossley, K., Orchard, J., Mountjoy, M. (2024). Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System (OSIICS) Version 15. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 13(4), 599-604. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., La Gerche, A., Puranik, R., Raju, H., Davis, A., Eggleton, S., Driscoll, T., Lorimer, M., Doughty, R., Hamilton, B., Orchard, J., et al (2024). Rationale and Design of the Australasian Registry of Screening ECGs in National Athletes Project. Journal of the American Heart Association, 13(16), e035898. [More Information]

2023

  • Orchard, J., Orchard, J., Davis, A., Puranik, R., Isbister, J., La Gerche, A., Driscoll, T., Doughty, R., Hamilton, B. (2023). Clinical outcomes of 10 years of cardiac screening in elite New Zealand athletes. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 26(12), 659-666. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Inge, P., Sims, K., Kountouris, A., Saw, A., Saw, R., Beerworth, K. (2023). Comparison of injury profiles between elite Australian male and female cricket players. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 26(1), 19-24. [More Information]
  • Mahendran, S., Gupta, I., Davis, J., Davis, A., Orchard, J., Orchard, J. (2023). Comparison of methods for correcting QT interval in athletes and young people: A systematic review. Clinical Cardiology, 46(9), 1106-1115. [More Information]

2022

  • Orchard, J., Maddocks, D., Carneiro, E., Orchard, J. (2022). A Review of Legal, Ethical, and Governance Issues for Team Doctors. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 32(3), 248-255. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Orchard, J., Raju, H., La Gerche, A., Puranik, R., Davis, A., Drezner, J., Semsarian, C. (2022). Analysis of athlete QT intervals by age: Fridericia and Hodges heart rate corrections outperform Bazett for athlete ECG screening. Journal of Electrocardiology, 74, 59-64. [More Information]
  • Bateman, M., Evans, J., Vuvan, V., Jones, V., Watts, A., Phadnis, J., Bisset, L., Vicenzino, B., Andia, I., Arrigoni, P., Orchard, J., et al (2022). Development of a core outcome set for lateral elbow tendinopathy (COS-LET) using best available evidence and an international consensus process. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 56(12), 657-666. [More Information]

2021

  • Orchard, J., Orchard, J., Puranik, R. (2021). 'Stay home when sick' advice: Implications for sport and exercise. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 7(4), e001227. [More Information]
  • Rice, S., Treeby, M., Olive, L., Saw, A., Kountouris, A., Lloyd, M., Macleod, G., Orchard, J., Clarke, P., Gwyther, K., et al (2021). Athlete Experiences of Shame and Guilt: Initial Psychometric Properties of the Athletic Perceptions of Performance Scale Within Junior Elite Cricketers. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 581914. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Orchard, J., Toresdahl, B., Asif, I., Hughes, D., La Gerche, A., Semsarian, C. (2021). Cardiovascular Screening of Elite Athletes by Sporting Organizations in Australia: A Survey of Chief Medical Officers. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 31(5), 401-406. [More Information]

2020

  • Orchard, J., Orchard, J., La Gerche, A., Kountouris, A., Raju, H., Young, M., Puranik, R., Semsarian, C. (2020). Audit of a cardiac screening policy for elite Australian cricketers. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 23(6), 541-547. [More Information]
  • Chaker Jomaa, M., Gultekin, S., Orchard, J., Driscoll, T., Orchard, J. (2020). Australian Footballers Returning from Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Later than 12 Months have Worse Outcomes. Indian Journal of Orthopaedics, 54(3), 317-323. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Orchard, J., La Gerche, A., Semsarian, C. (2020). Cardiac screening of athletes: Consensus needed for clinicians on indications for follow-up echocardiography testing. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(15), 936-938. [More Information]

2019

  • Orchard, J., Neubeck, L., Orchard, J., Puranik, R., Raju, H., Freedman, B., La Gerche, A., Semsarian, C. (2019). ECG-based Cardiac Screening Programs: Legal, Ethical and Logistical Considerations. Heart Rhythm, 16(10), 1584-1591. [More Information]
  • Hill, T., Orchard, J., Kountouris, A. (2019). Incidence of Concussion and Head Impacts in Australian Elite-Level Male and Female Cricketers After Head Impact Protocol Modifications. Sports Health, 11(2), 180-185. [More Information]
  • Hainline, B., Derman, W., Vernec, A., Budgett, R., Deie, M., Dvorak, J., Harle, C., Herring, S., McNamee, M., Meeuwisse, W., Orchard, J., et al (2019). Infographic International Olympic Committee consensus statement on pain management in athletes: non-pharmacological strategies. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 53(12), 785-786. [More Information]

2018

  • Dennis, M., Elder, A., Semsarian, C., Orchard, J., Brouwer, I., Puranik, R. (2018). A 10-year review of sudden death during sporting activities. Heart Rhythm, 15(10), 1477-1483. [More Information]
  • Stay, S., Cort, M., Ward, D., Kountouris, A., Orchard, J., Holland, J., Saw, A. (2018). Core Temperature Responses in Elite Cricket Players during Australian Summer Conditions. Sports, 6(4), 1-8. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J. (2018). How exercise medicine has evolved from sports medicine. Medical Journal of Australia, 208(6), 244-245. [More Information]

2017

  • Schache, A., Woodley, S., Schilders, E., Orchard, J., Crossley, K. (2017). Anatomical and morphological characteristics may explain why groin pain is more common in male than female athletes. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 51(7), 554-555. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Vicenzino, B. (2017). Cortisone injections for tennis elbow should be an “avoid”, rather than a recommended procedure. Medical Journal of Australia, 207(10), 453-453.e1. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Orchard, J., Samra, D. (2017). Evidence-based review, not change in usage patterns, should drive Medicare Benefit Schedule (MBS) disinvestment decisions. Australian Health Review, 41(6), 713-714. [More Information]

2016

  • Soligard, T., Schwellnus, M., Alonso, J., Bahr, R., Clarsen, B., Dijkstra, H., Gabbett, T., Gleeson, M., Hagglund, M., Orchard, J., et al (2016). How much is too much? (Part 1) International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of injury. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50(17), 1030-1041. [More Information]
  • Schwellnus, M., Soligard, T., Alonso, J., Bahr, R., Clarsen, B., Dijkstra, H., Gabbett, T., Gleeson, M., Hagglund, M., Orchard, J., et al (2016). How much is too much? (Part 2) International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of illness. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50(17), 1043-1052. [More Information]
  • McNamara, D., Gabbett, T., Naughton, G., Orchard, J. (2016). How submarine and guided missile technology can help reduce injury and improve performance in cricket fast bowlers. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50(16), 962-963. [More Information]

2015

  • Finch, C., Cook, J., Gabbe, B., Orchard, J. (2015). A new way of categorising recurrent, repeat and multiple sports injuries for injury incidence studies - the Subsequent Injury Categorisation (SIC) model. Australasian Epidemiologist, 22(1), 22-25. [More Information]
  • Humphries, D., Orchard, J., Kountouris, A. (2015). Abdominal Wall Injuries at the Elite Level in Australian Male Professional Cricketers. Journal of Postgraduate Medicine, Education and Research, 49(4), 155-158. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Kountouris, A., Sims, K., Orchard, J., Beakley, D., Brukner, P. (2015). Change to injury profile of elite male cricketers in the T20 era. New Zealand Journal of Sports Medicine, 42(1), 13-17.

2014

  • Orchard, J., Seward, H., Orchard, J. (2014). Australian Football League Injury Report 2013, (pp. 1 - 27). Melbourne, Australia: Australian Football League.
  • Finch, C., Orchard, J., Twomey, D., Saleem, M., Ekegren, C., Lloyd, D., Elliott, B. (2014). Coding OSICS sports injury diagnoses in epidemiological studies: does the background of the coder matter? British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(7), 552-556. [More Information]
  • Twomey, D., Petrass, L., Orchard, J., Finch, C. (2014). Ground condition as a risk factor in sports injury aetiology studies: the level of concordance between objective and subjective measures. Injury Epidemiology, 1, 1-7. [More Information]

2013

  • Orchard, J., Orchard, J., Seward, H. (2013). A Comparison between Australian Football League (AFL) Injuries in Australian Indigenous versus Non-indigenous Players. Sports, 1, 69-77. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Walden, M., Hagglund, M., Orchard, J., Chivers, I., Seward, H., Ekstrand, J. (2013). Comparison of injury incidences between football teams playing in different climatic regions. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, 4, 251-260. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J. (2013). Injury surveillance in cricket. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 47(10), 605-606. [More Information]

2012

  • Orchard, J. (2012). Hamstrings are most susceptible to injury during the early stance phase of sprinting. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 46(2), 88-89. [More Information]
  • Janssen, K., Orchard, J., Driscoll, T., van Mechelen, W. (2012). High incidence and costs for anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions performed in Australia from 2003-2004 to 2007-2008: time for an anterior cruciate ligament register by Scandinavian model? Scandinavian Journal Of Medicine and Science In Sports, 22(4), 495-501. [More Information]
  • Savage, J., Winter, M., Orchard, J., Schenberg, M. (2012). Incidence of facial fractures in the Australian Football League. ANZ Journal of Surgery, 82(10), 724-728. [More Information]

2011

  • Orchard, J., Kountouris, A. (2011). Authors' reply. BMJ, 342(7812), d3843. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J. (2011). Corticosteroid injection for lateral epicondylalgia is helpful in the short term, but harmful in the longer term; data for non-corticosteroid injections and other tendinopathies are limited. Evidence-Based Medicine, 16(4), 116-117. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., James, T., Kountouris, A., Farhart, P. (2011). Cricket injuries. In Mike Hutson, Cathy Speed (Eds.), Sports Injuries, (pp. 506-510). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. [More Information]

2010

  • Neve, L., Orchard, J., Gibbs, N., van Mechelen, W., Verhagen, E., Sesel, K., Burgess, I., Hines, B. (2010). An exploration of fluoroscopically guided spinal steroid injections in patients with non-specific exercise-related lower-limb pain. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, 1, 183-190. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., James, T., Kountouris, A., Portus, M. (2010). Changes to injury profile (and recommended cricket injury definitions) based on the increased frequency of Twenty20 cricket matches. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, 1, 63-76.
  • Orchard, J., Orchard, J., Driscoll, T. (2010). Comparison of sports medicine, public health and exercise promotion between bidding countries for the FIFA World Cup in 2018. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 44(9), 631-636. [More Information]

2009

  • Orchard, J., Seward, H. (2009). Decreased incidence of knee posterior cruciate ligament injury in Australian Football League after ruck rule change. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 43(13), 1026-1030. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Massey, A., Rimmer, J., Hofman, J., Brown, R., Rochcongar, P. (2009). Delay of 6 weeks between aprotinin injections for tendinopathy reduces risk of allergic reaction. Science and Sports, 24, 186-191. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., James, T., Portus, M., Kountouris, A., Dennis, R. (2009). Fast Bowlers in Cricket Demonstrate Up to 3- to 4-Week Delay Between High Workloads and Increased Risk of Injury. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 37(6), 1186-1192. [More Information]

2008

  • Orchard, J., Rodas, G., Til, L., Ardevol, J., Chivers, I. (2008). A hypothesis: could portable natural grass be a risk factor for knee injuries? Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 7, 184-190.
  • Orchard, J., Massey, A., Rimmer, J., Hofman, J., Brown, R. (2008). Delay of 6 weeks between aprotinin injections for tendinopathy reduces risk of allergic reaction. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 11(5), 473-480. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J. (2008). Preventing sports injuries at the national level: Time for other nations to follow New Zealand's remarkable success. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 42(6), 392-3. [More Information]

2007

  • Orchard, J., Leeder, S., Moorhead, G., Coates, J., Brukner, P. (2007). Australia urgently needs a federal government body dedicated to monitoring and preventing sports injuries. Medical Journal of Australia, 187(9), 505-506. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Hoskins, W. (2007). For Debate: Consensus Injury Definitions in Team Sports Should Focus on Missed Playing Time. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 17(3), 192-196. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J. (2007). For debate: Should observational clinical studies require ethics committee approval? Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 11(3), 239-42. [More Information]

2006

  • Orchard, J., Fricker, P., White, S., Burke, L., Healey, D. (2006). 4. The use and misuse of performance-enhancing substances in sport. Medical Journal of Australia, 184(3), 132-6. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., James, T., Portus, M. (2006). Injuries to elite male cricketers in Australia over a 10-year period. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 9(6), 459-67. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J. (2006). Time for sport and health to be formally linked in a positive way. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 9(3), 211-3. [More Information]

2005

  • Rae, K., Britt, H., Orchard, J., Finch, C. (2005). Classifying sports medicine diagnoses: a comparison of the International classification of diseases 10-Australian modification (ICD-10-AM) and the Orchard sports injury classification system (OSICS-8). British Journal of Sports Medicine, 39(12), 907-911. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Best, T., Verrall, G. (2005). Return to play following muscle strains. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 15(6), 436-41. [More Information]
  • Orchard, J., Brukner, P. (2005). Sport and exercise medicine in Australia. Medical Journal of Australia, 183(7), 383. [More Information]

Selected Grants

2018

  • An Evidence-Based Extreme Heat Policy for Child and Youth Sport, Jay O, Periard J, Capon A, Broderick C, Orchard J, Chalmers S, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)/Project Grants