The Impact of a Cervical Spine Diagnosis on the Careers of National Football League Athletes

Schroeder, Gregory D.; Lynch, T. Sean; Gibbs, Daniel B.; Chow, Ian; LaBelle, Mark W.; Patel, Alpesh A.; Savage, Jason W.; Nuber, Gordon W.; Hsu, Wellington K.

doi:10.1097/brs.0000000000000321

Cited by 33 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The matching process in this study was very strict and is consistent with previously published studies. 10 , 11 However, it does not account for other preexisting injuries. Furthermore, variables such as the coaching scheme and the presence of more skilled players on a team’s roster may significantly alter a player’s playing time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preexisting Rotator Cuff Tears as a Predictor of Outcomes in National Football League Athletes

et al. 2016

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Background:A preexisting rotator cuff tear may affect the draft status and career performance of National Football League (NFL) players.Hypothesis:Preexisting rotator cuff tears decrease a player’s draft status, performance, and longevity in the NFL.Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Level of Evidence:Level 3.Methods:Medical reports of prospective NFL players during the NFL Scouting Combine from 2003 to 2011 were evaluated to identify players with a previous rotator cuff tear. Athletes were matched to control draftees without documented shoulder pathology by age, position, year drafted, and round drafted. Career statistics and performance scores were calculated.Results:Between 2003 and 2011, 2965 consecutive athletes were evaluated. Forty-nine athletes had preexisting rotator cuff tears: 22 athletes underwent surgical intervention for their tear and 27 were treated nonoperatively. Those with a rotator cuff tear were significantly less likely to be drafted than those without a previous injury (55.1% vs 77.5%, P = 0.002). The 27 drafted athletes with preexisting rotator cuff tears started significantly fewer games (23.7 vs 43.0, P = 0.02) and played significantly fewer years (4.3 vs 5.7, P = 0.04) and significantly fewer games (47.1 vs 68.4, P = 0.04) than matched control athletes without rotator cuff tears.Conclusion:Athletes with a preexisting rotator cuff tear were less likely to be drafted and had decreased career longevity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A previously established and validated Performance Score was calculated for all players excluding offensive linemen, kickers, and punters to compare on-field statistics from 1 athlete to another and from 1 position to another. 3 - 5 , 9 - 11 , 13 …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preexisting Rotator Cuff Tears as a Predictor of Outcomes in National Football League Athletes

et al. 2016

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“…Of the 32 studies, 30 were injury specific. There were 2 studies on cervical spine injuries, 30 , 35 5 on foot injuries, 7 , 23 , 25 , 37 , 38 1 on hand injuries, 26 4 on hip/groin injuries, 14 , 17 , 18 , 33 9 on knee injuries, 2 , 8 , 9 , 13 , 21 , 22 , 24 , 31 , 32 3 on lumbar spine injuries, 27 , 29 , 34 and 6 on shoulder injuries. 10 , 11 , 15 , 16 , 19 , 28 No studies specifically examined injuries of the ankle, elbow, or long bones.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Athletes With Musculoskeletal Injuries Identified at the NFL Scouting Combine and Prediction of Outcomes in the NFL: A Systematic Review

Wang

Weiss

Abrams

et al. 2018

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine

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Background:Prior to the annual National Football League (NFL) Draft, the top college football prospects are evaluated by medical personnel from each team at the NFL Scouting Combine. On the basis of these evaluations, each athlete is assigned an orthopaedic grade from the medical staff of each club, which aims to predict the impact of an athlete’s injury history on his ability to participate in the NFL.Purpose:(1) To identify clinical predictors of signs, symptoms, and subsequent professional participation associated with football-related injuries identified at the NFL Combine and (2) to assess the methodological quality of the evidence currently published.Study Design:Systematic review; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. We reviewed all studies that examined musculoskeletal injuries identified among athletes at the NFL Combine and associated outcomes. Data on signs, symptoms, and subsequent NFL participation were collected, and the methodological quality of the studies was assessed.Results:Overall, 32 studies, including 30 injury-specific studies, met the inclusion criteria. Twenty studies analyzed data collected at the NFL Combine from 2009 and later. When compared with matched controls, athletes with a history of a cervical or lumbar spine injury, rotator cuff repair, superior labrum anterior-posterior repair, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, full-thickness chondral lesions of the knee, or Lisfranc injury played in significantly fewer games early in their NFL careers. Additionally, athletes with a history of a cervical or lumbar spine injury, rotator cuff repair, and navicular injury had decreased career lengths versus controls. Defensive players and linemen were found to have decreased participation in the NFL for several injuries, including prior meniscectomy, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, and shoulder instability. Career length follow-up, measures of athletic participation, and matching criteria were highly variable among studies.Conclusion:For medical professionals caring for professional football athletes, this information can help guide orthopaedic grading of prospects at the NFL Combine and counseling of athletes on the potential impact of prior injuries on their professional careers. For future studies, improvements in study methodology will provide greater insight into the efficacy of current treatments and areas that require further understanding.

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“…Schroeder et al 13,14 concluded that although there was a significant difference in career longevity, there was no difference in career performance for those athletes with pre-existing cervical or lumbar spine conditions compared to controls. Although these authors assessed career performance, our findings are in contrast to theirs, as we found linebackers with a prior history of spinal injury had significantly poorer performance than their controls, recording fewer games started ( P = .014), fewer mean tackles ( P = .048), and fewer tackles for a loss ( P = .033).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of Injuries Identified at the NFL Scouting Combine and Their Impact on Performance in the National Football League: Evaluation of 2203 Athletes From 2009 to 2015

Beaulieu‐Jones

Rossy

Sánchez

et al. 2017

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine

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Background:At the annual National Football League (NFL) Scouting Combine, the medical staff of each NFL franchise performs a comprehensive medical evaluation of all athletes potentially entering the NFL. Currently, little is known regarding the overall epidemiology of injuries identified at the combine and their impact on NFL performance.Purpose:To determine the epidemiology of injuries identified at the combine and their impact on initial NFL performance.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:All previous musculoskeletal injuries identified at the NFL Combine from 2009 to 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Medical records and imaging reports were examined. Game statistics for the first 2 seasons of NFL play were obtained for all players from 2009 to 2013. Analysis of injury prevalence and overall impact on the draft status and position-specific performance metrics of each injury was performed and compared with a position-matched control group with no history of injury or surgery.Results:A total of 2203 athletes over 7 years were evaluated, including 1490 (67.6%) drafted athletes and 1040 (47.2%) who ultimately played at least 2 years in the NFL. The most common sites of injury were the ankle (1160, 52.7%), shoulder (1143, 51.9%), knee (1128, 51.2%), spine (785, 35.6%), and hand (739, 33.5%). Odds ratios (ORs) demonstrated that quarterbacks were most at risk of shoulder injury (OR, 2.78; P = .001), while running backs most commonly sustained ankle (OR, 1.39; P = .040) and shoulder injuries (OR, 1.55; P = .020) when compared with all other players. Ultimately, defensive players demonstrated a greater negative impact due to injury than offensive players, with multiple performance metrics significantly affected for each defensive position analyzed, whereas skilled offensive players (eg, quarterbacks, running backs) demonstrated only 1 metric significantly affected at each position.Conclusion:The most common sites of injury identified at the combine were (1) ankle, (2) shoulder, (3) knee, (4) spine, and (5) hand. Overall, performance in the NFL tended to worsen with injury history, with a direct correlation found between injury at a certain anatomic location and position of play. Defensive players tended to perform worse compared with offensive players if injury history was present.

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The Impact of a Cervical Spine Diagnosis on the Careers of National Football League Athletes

Cited by 33 publications

References 16 publications

Preexisting Rotator Cuff Tears as a Predictor of Outcomes in National Football League Athletes

Preexisting Rotator Cuff Tears as a Predictor of Outcomes in National Football League Athletes

Athletes With Musculoskeletal Injuries Identified at the NFL Scouting Combine and Prediction of Outcomes in the NFL: A Systematic Review

Epidemiology of Injuries Identified at the NFL Scouting Combine and Their Impact on Performance in the National Football League: Evaluation of 2203 Athletes From 2009 to 2015

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