“Fantasy Points” associated with Professional Athlete Performance after Lumbar Discectomy or Microdiscectomy

Abstract

The treatment of Lumbar Disc Herniation (LDH) in elite athletes is a debated topic that lacks consensus in the literature due to varying outcome reporting methods. The objective of this study was to quantify the overall performance of a sample of professional athletes before and after receiving a lumbar discectomy or microdiscectomy in a cohort of players in the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Baseball (MLB). METHODSThe authors identified publicly accessible data from a cohort of different types of professional players who received either a lumbar discectomy or a microdiscectomy. These records were identified through newspaper archives, injury reports, player profiles and press releases between 1993 through 2015. Fantasy and Wins Above Replacement (WAR) scores were calculated for each player. RESULTSA total of 38 professional players met study inclusion criteria. NFL players had the lowest return-to-play (RTP) at nine of 14 (64%). The RTP for NBA, NHL and MLB players were comparable with 6/7 (86%) vs 8/9 (89%) vs 7/8 (88%). NFL players had the lowest average career length after surgery at 34.8 months, while NBA players had the longest average career length at 48 months. MLB players on average required the longest time to return to presurgical level of performance (24 months) and required the longest average recovery time at 12 months. CONCLUSIONSBased on these results, the average performance of most elite athletes are likely to decrease after undergoing a lumbar discectomy. Although it appears that performance peaks in the initial years after the operation for some players, there was an overall long-term decline in this sample of elite athletes. Study limitations included small sample size, lack of controlling for possible confounding variables (e.g., age, etc.) and use of variable reporting sources. Additional studies with larger sample sizes and age-matched controls are needed to examine the effects of lumbar discectomy more comprehensively in elite athletes.

Effects of Various Rehabilitations on Pain and Performance of Elite Athletes Who Return to Play after Lumbar Disc Herniation

“…Scientists & sport physicians reported that effective treatment of LDH and successful return to sports in elite athletes is a debated actual topic that lacks consensus in the scientific literature [39]. Also, investigators reported that state of the evidence suggests that there are deficits in identifying the optimal prevention and rehabilitation prescription components for the variety of LBP-inducing injuries in athletic population [6].…”

Use of Fantasy Points in Evaluating Professional Athlete Performance After Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction

“…MLB player information was collected from FanGraphs ( http://www.fangraphs.com ). This was in accordance with a previously established methodology [ 13 ].…”

“…Next, the fantasy points in the NHL [13] are calculated using formulas based on a player's position. Specifically, the formula for defensemen is: Moreover, the fantasy points for NBA players are not calculated using standard points but are based on the league.…”

“…To illustrate, each action that a player performs is worth a specific point. At the end of the season, the sum yields a fantasy score for the player [ 13 ].…”

“…Next, the fantasy points in the NHL [ 13 ] are calculated using formulas based on a player’s position. Specifically, the formula for defensemen is:…”