NFL Injuries And Pain Management in Retired Players

Over a ten year span in the NFL (2002-2011) there were over 30,000 injuries. These injuries take a toll when it comes to growing older. Most athletes know the repercussions of playing football. They know that it is a full contact sport where people get hit very hard some of the time. But do they know how it will affect their body when they retire? A Washington Post survey of retired NFL players found that “nearly nine in 10 report suffering from aches and pains on a daily basis, and they overwhelmingly – 91 percent – connect nearly all their pains to football.” That is a very big portion of players dealing with pain. Let’s look at some more of these statistics and what they should do for their pain management.

Retiree Survey Statistics

Among the survey’s other findings, about 90 percent of retired NFL players reported suffering concussions during play, and nearly 60 percent reported three or more concussions. Over 65 percent who had concussions said they still experience symptoms from them. A majority of these retirees reported one major injury while half reported three or more and about 20 percent reported five or more while playing in the NFL. Nearly half of these players said they have had a joint replacement or at least been told they will need one at some point. 33 percent said the medical care in the NFL was not great or poor, though the rest said it was very good or excellent. The ones who retired recently were more satisfied than the players who retired earlier. If only these ex-players had somewhere to go to manage all the pain they are experiencing… Oh wait, there is always Arrowhead Health Centers.

Arrowhead & Pain Management

When it comes to pain management, Arrowhead knows exactly how to treat sports related pain and injury. Over 95% of sports medicine injuries are non-surgical and can be diagnosed and treated by a primary care physician. Luckily, primary care is exactly our specialty. If injuries remain undiagnosed, untreated, or unrehabilitated, negative consequences can result, including: deformity, muscle imbalances, arthritis, chronic pain, insomnia, depression, anxiety, poor performance, and increased risk of new injury or re-injury. But don’t worry: if you have a sports or activity-related injury or would like to prevent injuries from occurring our helpful and friendly providers are here to help you. There are a multitude of injuries that would benefit from seeing a sports medicine trained physician, like ours. Some of those include: knee pain, neck pain, rotator cuff injuries, foot and ankle pain, and even concussions.

Contact Arrowhead Today!

If you are a retired professional football player, or even if you’re just some schmo who injured his tailbone playing a game of pickup touch football, contact Arrowhead Health Centers today and get the help you need! Visit our Contact Us page or give us a call at 623-334-4000.