scholarly journals Eccentric Hamstring Muscle Strength during Home Confinement Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and Football Competition Resumption in Professional Football Referees: A Prospective Observational Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 9737
Author(s):  
Víctor Moreno-Pérez ◽  
Marc Madruga-Parera ◽  
Daniel Romero-Rodríguez ◽  
Javier Sanchéz-Sanchéz ◽  
José Luis Felipe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Strength ◽  
Muscle Weakness ◽  
National Football League ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Hamstring Muscle ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Sport Competition ◽  
National League ◽  
Major Disruption

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced a major disruption for professional football leagues that has affected the physical preparation of both football players and referees. In Spain, health authorities decreed home confinement for eight weeks, supressing the normal training routines of professional referees. After home confinement, referees had four weeks to retrain as the national football league was set to resume matches to complete the 11 games remaining. The aim of the present investigation was to assess changes in eccentric hamstring muscle strength during football competition suspension/resumption due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 21 professional football referees (mean ± SD, age: 33.4 ± 5.1 years; height: 182.4 ± 5.0 cm; body mass: 75.1 ± 4.4 kg). Eccentric hamstring muscle strength was measured with the Nordic hamstring exercise at four time points. During home confinement, referees presented the lowest value of bilateral eccentric muscle strength (300 ± 14 N). Eccentric muscle strength increased by 13.2 ± 3.7% one week after the end of home confinement (339 ± 16 N; p = 0.001, effect size (ES) = 2.8) and remained stable before the first match (343 ± 17 N; p = 0.001, ES = 3.1) and after the end of the national league (328 ± 13 N; p = 0.001, ES = 2.0). In summary, home confinement produced detraining effects in professional football referees associated with hamstring muscle weakness. In this regard, strength-based activities with body loads may be insufficient to avoid muscle weakness and other means (e.g., weights) may be necessary to maintain muscle strength. However, the 4-weeks retraining period was sufficient to resolve hamstring muscle weakness induced by the restrictions of home confinement. This information may be helpful in the case of future sport competition suspension or home quarantine due to new waves of COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Increasing Incidence of Pectoralis Major Ruptures in NFL Players

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (7_suppl5) ◽  
pp. 2325967119S0039
Author(s):  
Patrick Wise ◽  
Robert A. Gallo
Keyword(s):  
Bench Press ◽  
National Football League ◽  
Relative Strength ◽  
Pectoralis Major ◽  
Definitive Treatment ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
The Past ◽  
Playing Time ◽  
Performance Enhancing

Objectives: Pectoralis major ruptures are considered an uncommon injury in football. A previous study showing that only 10 compete ruptures occurred in the NFL between the years 2000-2010. The purpose of the study is to report the incidence of pectoralis ruptures in National Football League (NFL) players from 2010-2017 and identify any characteristics that could have contributed. We hypothesized that incidence of pectoralis major ruptures would increase over the past eight years. Methods: Using publicly available reports from websites such as ESPN.com and NFL.com, pectoralis major injuries in professional football players were identified during the years 2010-2017. Details about age, position played, injury setting, performance enhancing drug (PED) suspensions, and combine performance were obtained from NFL Combine and compared to peers at the same workout. Results: During the eight years analyzed 51 separate NFL players suffered a total of 55 pectoralis major ruptures. Defensive players accounted for 82% (42 of 51) of the injured players. The ruptures happened at the average age of 26±1 years, and 76.4% (42 of 55) of them occurred during games. After the rupture, 87.3% (48 of 55) required surgery, while definitive treatment could not be determined for the remaining seven injuries. For athletes that received playing time before injury and had their rupture occur prior to the most recent 2017 season, 85.4% (41 of 48) returned to play in a game. When comparing athletes at the combine who later ruptured their pectoralis major to peers at their position, those who tore their pectoralis major tendon on-average ranked in the 63 rd percentile for bench press (N=40), 50th percentile for arm length (N=14), and 52nd percentile for 20-yard shuttle (N=20). When the NFL suspension records were examined, only 5.9% (3 of 51) of players with a pectoralis major rupture had been suspended for (performance-enhancing drug) PED use before or after the injury. Conclusion: The total number of pectoralis major ruptures has drastically risen from 10 cases between 2000-2010 to 55 cases from 2010-2017. The reason behind this increase remain uncertain but appears to be independent of relative strength, agility, and arm length, and suspension for PED use.

Lower Cervical Posterior Element Fractures in the National Football League: A Report of 2 Cases and a Review of the Literature

Neurosurgery ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. E1743-E1749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark C. Drakos ◽  
Brian T. Feeley ◽  
Ronnie Barnes ◽  
Mark Muller ◽  
T. Pepper Burruss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
National Football League ◽  
Clinical Presentation ◽  
Axial Loading ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Unstable Fracture ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Cervical Spine Injuries ◽  
Spine Injuries ◽  
Posterior Element

Abstract BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Injuries in professional football players are common because of the nature of the collisions and the frequency of axial loading to the cervical spine. These injuries should be thoroughly evaluated because they can put the player at risk of future injury and even paralysis. The focus of this report is to present 2 cases of this injury and review the current body of literature. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We present 2 cases of professional football players who experienced injuries to the lower posterior elements of their cervical spine simultaneously on a kickoff during a game. Both players described transient symptoms consistent with a “stinger,” which is commonly encountered. Workup revealed fractures of the lower cervical spine in both patients. One patient was able to be managed conservatively and returned to football the following season. The second patient had an unstable fracture that ultimately required operative intervention, and the patient retired from professional football. CONCLUSION: Cervical spine injuries in football players need to be adequately evaluated, and in many cases can be career threatening. We recommend that players with persistent pain after a transient neurapraxia undergo radiography and computed tomography of the cervical spine to evaluate for a fracture.

Hamstring muscle architecture and myotonometer measurements in elite professional football players with a prior strained hamstring

2023 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Javier Núñez ◽  
Juan Carlos Martínez ◽  
Jan-Arie Overberg ◽  
Nacho Torreno ◽  
Luis Suarez-Arrones
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Architecture ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Hamstring Muscle

Professional Football Scouts: An Investigation of Racial Stacking

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 356-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Woodward
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
National Football League ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
White Athletes ◽  
Collegiate Football

In this article the author examines sports guides that are dedicated to critiquing collegiate football players eligible for the annual National Football League amateur draft. An effort is made to assess whether the scouts in these guides describe collegiate players in ways that correspond with U.S. race logic as articulated by Coakley (1998). More specifically, the article focuses on the mental and physical descriptions of African American and White athletes by professional scouts. The results show that African American players are more likely to be described in physical terms (rather than mental terms) than are White players in the same positions.

scholarly journals Effect of Concussions on National Football League Quarterback Performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Elizabeth C. Heintz ◽  
Emily F. Foret ◽  
Jeremy J. Foreman
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
National Football League ◽  
Field Performance ◽  
American Football ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Career Outcomes ◽  
Neurocognitive Performance ◽  
Player Performance

Background: Sports-related concussion (SRC) rates are higher in American football than any other sport; therefore, the effects of SRCs on professional football players is a prevalent topic. Previous research has shown that sustaining an SRC has negative financial and overall career outcomes for athletes and may cause performance decrements after an athlete returns to play, however, the results of previous research regarding athlete performance after returning from an SRC are mixed. While some studies found that player performance in the National Football League (NFL) was unaffected upon returning from an SRC, evidence also suggests significant scoring reductions in offensive players. Although previous research has found that NFL running backs and wide receivers perform at levels similar to their performance before sustaining an SRC, little is known about quarterback performance after an SRC. There is also evidence that SRCs decrease neurocognitive performance, a quality that is crucial, especially for quarterbacks. Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine changes in NFL quarterback performances upon return to play from an SRC. Method: Quarterback ratings (QBRs) and concussion data from 2012-2015 were used to determine if changes occurred in NFL quarterback performance following an SRC. Results: QBRs decreased by 13.3 points (p = 0.014) after quarterbacks return from an SRC. Conclusions: Changes in on-field performance for NFL quarterbacks after sustaining an SRC could be the result of neurocognitive decrements that impact quick reaction and decision-making skills, which may have greater impacts on quarterbacks than other positions.

Hamstring Muscle Strains in Professional Football Players

2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 843-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus C. C. W. Elliott ◽  
Bertram Zarins ◽  
John W. Powell ◽  
Charles D. Kenyon
Keyword(s):  
Football Players ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Hamstring Muscle

Mood and Locus of Control of a Sample of College and Professional Football Players

1986 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 733-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Daiss ◽  
Arnold Leunes ◽  
Jack Nation
Keyword(s):  
Locus Of Control ◽  
National Football League ◽  
Elite Athlete ◽  
Mood States ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Profile Of Mood States ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Division 1

48 Division 1-A football players who concluded their careers after their college eligibility expired were compared with 12 team members who went on to play football in the National Football League. No significant differences between the two groups were found on the dimensions measured by the Profile of Mood States and on locus of control. Results are discussed in terms of Morgan's Iceberg Profile and the elite athlete.

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