That is a result from the league's annual injury survey of the 2012 season, which also showed the overall incidences of injuries had dropped from the previous season.
The injury report revealed instances of hamstring, quad and groin strains were also down on earlier years.
But, one of the few increases was in the sensitive and often slow-healing calf area, which the report conceded caused players to miss the most games in a season over the survey's entire 21-year history.
The most notable victim of calf woes during the 2012 season was courageous Hawthorn superstar Luke Hodge, who missed a large chunk of the season because of a deep and slow to heal lower leg problem.
Authors John Orchard and Hugh Seward noted an overall downward trend in injuries across the league.
The report poured water on the rising concerns over concussions among players, declaring head injuries forced an average of one player per club to miss games in 2012.
It declared while instances of head injuries were on the rise, the rates were still much lower than that of other common concerns.
Ugly concussion cases such as Geelong captain Joel Selwood and former Adelaide big man Kurt Tippett dominated many headlines during the year, but the report lauded the increased caution and conservative diagnoses from clubs and medical staff.
AFL acting football operations manager Gillon McLachlan said the report would help the league identify areas where rule-changes could possibly assist in player welfare.
"In the interests of player health and welfare, the injury survey helps to identify the most important areas for further AFL-funded research, with the primary goal of ensuring the game is safe to play and that our players have the best possible treatment and support when returning from any injury," McLachlan said.
"The AFL will continue to consider and implement rule changes where necessary to improve player safety, not just at the elite level, but across all levels of our game for both adults and children."