The National Football League Concussion Protocol: A Review

Jacobi, Jaclyn; Wasserman, Erin B.; D. Mack, Christina; Heinzelmann, Morgan; Cárdenas, Javier; Rehberg, Robb; Solomon, Gary; Sills, Allen; Vargas, Bert

doi:10.1177/15563316231177207

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 27 publications

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“…The National Football League (NFL) has implemented a comprehensive protocol to address the prevention, detection, and management of concussions in American football [ 66 – 68 ]. During the preseason and offseason, players undergo education on concussions and a club-appointed neuropsychologist administers baseline neurocognitive tests, which are then stored in a centralised electronic medical record system for the league.…”

Section: Soccer-related Head Traumamentioning

confidence: 99%

Soccer (football) and brain health

Pensato,

Cortelli

2024

J Neurol

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Soccer is one of the most popular sports worldwide, played by over 270 million people and followed by many more. Several brain health benefits are promoted by practising soccer and physical exercise at large, which helps contrast the cognitive decline associated with ageing by enhancing neurogenesis processes. However, sport-related concussions have been increasingly recognised as a pressing public health concern, not only due to their acute impact but also, more importantly, due to mounting evidence indicating an elevated risk for the development of neurological sequelae following recurrent head traumas, especially chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). While soccer players experience less frequent concussions compared with other contact or combat sports, such as American football or boxing, it stands alone in its purposeful use of the head to hit the ball (headings), setting its players apart as the only athletes exposed to intentional, sub-concussive head impacts. Additionally, an association between soccer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis has been consistently observed, suggesting a potential “soccer-specific” risk factor. In this review, we discuss the neurological sequelae related to soccer playing, the emerging evidence of a detrimental effect related to recurrent headings, and the need for implementation of comprehensive strategies aimed at preventing and managing the burden of head impact in soccer.

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Section: Soccer-related Head Traumamentioning

confidence: 99%

Soccer (football) and brain health

Pensato,

Cortelli

2024

J Neurol

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Analysis of Concussions Reported in American Professional Football Injury Reports in the 2019 Through 2023 Regular Seasons

O'Malley,

Sarwar,

Posner

et al. 2024

World Neurosurgery

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Risk of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears in National Football League Players by Short, Normal, or Long Rest Weeks

Garlapaty,

Scheiderer,

Rucinski

et al. 2024

J Knee Surg

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Introduction Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears in National Football League (NFL) players are devastating injuries that take nearly a year to recover. Players that do return to sport have worse overall performance compared to pre-ACL tear. NFL players typically play regular season games on Sunday with the next game played on the following Sunday, allowing for 7 days between games. Deviation from the usual 7-day rest week has been proposed as a potential risk for ACL tear. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the risk of decreased rest or increased rest on ACL tear rates in NFL players. Methods ACL injury data of NFL players from the 2012-2013 season and 2022-2023 season were gathered from publicly available sources. Player demographic data, position, age at time of injury, seasons played, injury mechanism, and playing surface type were recorded. Injuries were characterized as short, normal, or long week injuries. ACL tears that occurred during the preseason, postseason, or during week 1 were excluded. Descriptive statistics were calculated to report means, ranges, and percentages. Data were analyzed to determine statistically significant differences using Fisher’s exact, chi-square, or one-way ANOVA tests. Results A total of 524 ACL tears were recorded in NFL players during the study window. 304 ACL tears were excluded and 220 fit inclusion criteria. 24 ACL tears occurred during short weeks, 68 during long weeks, and 128 during normal weeks. Players were 1.8 times more likely to tear their ACL during a long week compared to a normal week (p<.001), and 1.5 times more likely to tear their ACL during a short week compared to a normal week (p=.02). Conclusion The findings from this study suggest that deviation from the normal 7-day NFL week increases the risk of an ACL tear in NFL players when increasing or decreasing rest time. Further research exploring the impact short and long rest times on player injury risk should be conducted to prevent season ending injuries.

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The National Football League Concussion Protocol: A Review

Cited by 4 publications

References 27 publications

Soccer (football) and brain health

Soccer (football) and brain health

Analysis of Concussions Reported in American Professional Football Injury Reports in the 2019 Through 2023 Regular Seasons

Risk of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears in National Football League Players by Short, Normal, or Long Rest Weeks

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