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Stories for Reprint
Giving it All for the NFL
By Erin Willis, MARRTC Staff
The Super Bowl is the ultimate game in NFL football. The nation's best players battle it out on the field while fans wildly respond to amazing passes and crushing tackles. But years after players have left the field, does all that intense physical contact leave a lasting impact? A new study has found many former NFL players tackle a new opponent; arthritis.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill mailed questionnaires to over 3,600 retired NFL players to find out what happens to their bodies after the game is over. The players who responded were between the ages of 24 and 95 and spent an average of seven years playing professional football.
Of the seventy-percent who responded, almost half reported some form of arthritis and over a third reported osteoarthritis or OA. When these numbers were compared to the expected occurrence of arthritis in American men, as determined from the 2001 National Health Interview Survey, it was found that arthritis is three times more common in retired NFL players under the age of 60.
"The Golightly study supports the assumption that football leads to osteoarthritis," says Dr. Sara Walker, rheumatologist at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and co-principal investigator for the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center. "Playing football can lead to injuries at an early age that predispose players to longstanding joint damage and pain."
The positions most at risk for increased OA include the offensive lineman, defensive lineman, and tight end field positions. Increase of OA was also associated with a history of knee injuries like anterior cruciate ligament or ACL and meniscus tears; arm injuries including shoulder, elbow, and wrist; ligament injuries; joint dislocation; fracture; and disc rupture or hernia.
"I walked away from the game healthy... or at least, I thought I did," says Jerome Sally, a retired NFL defensive lineman. "Since retirement, I have had six surgeries. Most of the guys I know have experienced post-NFL surgeries."
"It is very common for athletes to take to the field before their injury has fully healed," says Walker. "This can lead to the possibility of re-injury and future joint damage."
Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States and OA is the most common type of arthritis; estimated to affect 21 million people. OA is caused when the cartilage attached at the end of the bone in a joint breaks down from wear and tear.
"The only sure protection is to avoid football," says Walker. "But, if you are going to play, keep these principles in mind: allow your injury to heal before going back to the game, always be in good muscle strength - this will help protect the joints, and understand the mechanics of your body."
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