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COVID-19 National Football League (NFL) Injury Analysis: Follow-Up Study
Troy B Puga1, Joshua Schafer2, Grace Thiel1
1College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kansas City University, Kansas City, MO, United States.
Jmirx Med
|March 11, 2024
Summary
The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic caused a spike in National Football League (NFL) injuries due to training shutdowns. Injury rates returned to normal levels by 2021, demonstrating the effectiveness of retraining and protective factors.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Epidemiology
- Athletic Training
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global routines, including professional sports like the National Football League (NFL).
- Previous research indicated increased NFL injury prevalence in 2020, linked to training facility closures and reduced athlete conditioning.
- Understanding injury patterns is crucial for preventing athlete injuries and developing effective return-to-play protocols.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a follow-up analysis on the longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on NFL injury epidemiology.
- To determine if NFL injury rates returned to pre-pandemic baseline levels after the initial 2020 spike.
- To assess the lingering effects of pandemic-related training interruptions on athlete injuries.
Main Methods:
- Injury data from the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 NFL regular seasons were compared.
- A Kruskal-Wallis test was employed to analyze injury rates per team per week across the five seasons.
- Post hoc Dunn analysis was used to identify specific seasonal differences in injury rates.
Main Results:
- A statistically significant difference in injury rates was observed across the five NFL seasons (H=32.61, P<.001).
- The 2020 season showed significantly higher injury rates compared to 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022.
- No significant differences in injury rates were found between the 2019, 2021, and 2022 seasons.
Conclusions:
- Extended training interruptions during COVID-19 in 2020 led to detraining and increased injuries in the NFL.
- Subsequent retraining efforts allowed injury rates to return to baseline levels, indicating the development of injury-protective factors.
- This study highlights the long-term implications of training disruptions and the importance of retraining for injury prevention in professional sports.
