Research Mentor Name

Mary Hennekes

Research Mentor Email Address

mhennek1@hfhs.org

Institution / Department

Henry Ford Health Systems / Orthopedic Surgery

Document Type

Research Abstract

Research Type

healthcommunityimpact

Level of Research

no

Abstract

Title: Which position in American Football is more likely to get you benched due to LEI? An Analysis of NFL Players injured in the years 2016-2020.

Authors: Robert de la Torre, Abdullah Sahyouni, Kinan Sawar, Gautham Pavar, Cris J. Diaz Alvarenga, Shravan Morisetty, Justin Bennie, Bohdan Matsko, Niyaz Uddin, Olivia Pakula

Introduction:

In American Football, there are twenty-four different positional roles that a player may assume. Some positions are unique to offense, such as quarterback and wide receiver. Others are unique to defense, such as cornerback or linebacker. There are also unique positions such as kicker or punter. All of these positions have different roles on the field and thus, different kinesiological patterns. These differences may lead to a variation in LE injuries experienced by players in different positions. Due to the prevalence of LEI's in the NFL, we wanted to look at the trends for different injuries to see if there is positional correlation.

Methods:

We examined the NFL’s weekly injury reports for seasons from 2016 to 2020, and recorded players with four different categories of lower extremity injuries (LEI): (Hamstring, Calves, Groin, or Quadricep). Both the positional data and the nature of the injury are presented on NFL.com. We are looking at the frequency of various injuries in relation to position, as well as injury timelines for the four different LE injury categories.

Results:

Data is available and pending analysis.

Discussion:

The data collected from this study may be beneficial for any athlete engaging in organized football. Individuals with a certain injury history can be made aware of the impact their specific roles on the field may have on their injury. This can be useful information for parents and coaching staff/trainers to be aware of. Injuries to key players can dramatically impede a football season's success in both monetary and subjective terms.

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Sports Sciences

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