UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Associate Professor Will Brabston, M.D., alongside Associate Professor Amit Momaya, M.D., and former Research Fellow Joseph Elphingstone, M.D., published a study addressing the lower extremity musculoskeletal issues found with National Football League (NFL) athletes.

The study was published in September of 2022 in The Physician and Sportsmedicine Journal, titled “Orthopedic consequences of modern gladiators: a systematic review of lower extremity musculoskeletal issues in retired NFL players.”

Lower extremity musculoskeletal issues are very common among athletes of contact sports. These issues can be classified as bone fractures, joint dislocation, direct blows to any muscles, sprains, etc. The most common side effects of these issues are sharp pain, aching, stiffness and burning sensations in the affected area. Current literature shows the short-term effects of these injuries rather than long-term outcomes of playing professional football.

The study accessed nine cohort studies evaluating lower extremity arthritis in retired NFL athletes, as well as data from individual studies, including demographic information (age, body mass index, length of career, position), injury descriptions (location of injury, number of injuries, diagnoses), and procedure (total knee and or hip arthroplasty) frequency.

Results of the study showed arthritis in retired NFL players was more than twice as prevalent than in the general United States male population at 95 percent. Ankle osteoarthritis was directly correlated with the number of foot and ankle injuries they sustained while playing. Players who are 50 years of age and older had a 16.1 and 13.8 times higher risk of undergoing total knee arthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty, respectively, when compared to the general population. In older age groups, this trend held with retired NFL players being at least 4.3 and 4.6 times more likely than members of the general population to undergo these procedures, respectively.

The study demonstrates that the effects of NFL-related lower extremity injuries extend beyond the players’ careers and present a higher risk for early-onset osteoarthritis and overall frequency of undergoing total knee and hip arthroplasty.

You can read more about this study and its results here.