Health issues in American football
Concussions have become a concern, as they increase the risk of mental illnesses like dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Catastrophic injuries—defined as serious injury to the spine, spinal cord, or brain—and fatalities are uncommon in football; both have become less common since the 1970s, although a small number of them still occur each year.
In addition to neurological damage caused by hits to the head, injuries to the mid and lower body can force players to retire or lead to nagging ailments in later life.
"[2] Orthopedic injuries to the knee, foot, ankle, shoulder, neck and back are also common, as are muscle strains to the hamstrings, quads, calves and the abdomen.
[6] Cervical spine injuries can be catastrophic, but have sharply declined since the mid-1970s due to rule changes and improved workout regimes, equipment, and coaching.
[8] Human growth hormone (HGH) is used by some players to improve performance, recover from injuries, decrease aging, and to lose weight.
Although none of these uses are scientifically proven or legal, HGH places users at risk for adverse side effects such as onset of diabetes and negatively impacting joints and organs such as the heart.
Players who have sustained major injuries and are not expected to play for the rest of the season may be placed on the Injured Reserve (IR) list.
The committee and its leadership, including Ira Casson and Elliot Pellman, were criticized by former players for stating that there is not enough research to determine if concussions lead to permanent brain injury.
[19][20] Pellman, who served as chairman of the committee from 1994 to 2007, received a large amount of criticism because he did not have a background in neurology and the research he published on brain injuries disagreed with the findings of independent scientists.
[19][21] In 2009, an NFL-commissioned report showed increased incidence of diagnosis of memory loss and dementia among retired professional football players when compared to the general population.
[24] A Congressional hearing in October 2009, as well as pressure from the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), led to an overhaul of the concussion policy in November and December of that year.
[25] NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the issue of head injuries in professional football during a talk held on November 15, 2012, at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The study, funded by a $75,000 donation from the NFL to the Centers for Disease Control Foundation, also found that there is no evidence that newer helmet technology decreases the risk for concussions.
[33] Catastrophic injuries have been on a steady decline since the 1960s, due in part to rules banning dangerous forms of contact such as spearing, face tackling and butt blocking.
Many states are requiring teams to prevent players who have shown any signs of a concussion from returning to a game, while other steps such as more aggressive enforcement of safety rules and better condition of the neck muscles have been suggested.
A cohort mortality study by researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) examined 3,349 NFL players who played at least five full seasons from 1959 to 1988.
[37] The findings from this study suggest that, in comparison to the typical American male, NFL players live longer on average but have around three times the risk of death associated with neurodegenerative disorders.
In particular, the risk of death from Alzheimer's disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was roughly four times higher among former players than the average American male.
Dr. James Andrews, a noted orthopedic surgeon, said that "athletes are bigger, stronger and running faster, and they're tearing up knees from cutting, changing direction on a dime".
Andrews also noted the increase in the number of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, which he attributed to the size of modern players.
[41] The sharp decrease in the number of catastrophic cervical spine injuries since the mid-1970s has been partially credited to rule changes that modified tackling and blocking techniques.
[1] With the increasing awareness of the long-term effects of concussions, the NFL has passed rules prohibiting the targeting of "defenseless" players over-the-shoulder, requiring plays to be blown dead when the runner loses his helmet, and placing more stringent limits to the ability of players who have sustained a concussion to return to play.
[43] Helmets later evolved to be made of hard plastic, and a facemask was added to protect players from sustaining facial injuries.
Many quarterbacks wear rib protectors (nicknamed "flak jackets" for their resemblance to that form of body armor) to protect their ribcage.
