Study by NFL Doctor Claims Injuries Not on Rise

The rate of pro football injuries hasn’t changed much in the past 20 years despite theories of greater risks on artificial turf, according to a study by a National Football League team doctor published today in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.

The study by New York Jets team physician Dr. James Nicholas and colleagues drew protest from the NFL Players Assn. The study found the number of significant injuries--those requiring a player to miss at least two consecutive games--averaged fewer than one per game from 1960 to 1986. The rate of major injuries--those requiring a player to miss at least eight consecutive games--was less than half that over the same period.

“The players are bigger, stronger and faster, and the perception has been the injuries have been more frequent and more damaging,” said Nicholas, the orthopedic surgeon who is credited with extending quarterback Joe Namath’s career.

“But our medical capabilities have changed even more dramatically. We can profile a player’s medical condition with remarkable precision. We can diagnose an injury, and because of new surgical techniques, we can cut the down time from months to weeks, and sometimes days.”

The most controversial part of the study is its finding that injury rates did not differ significantly for players on artificial surfaces over the study period. That contradicts an earlier study examining injury rates of high school players on grass and artificial turf fields, as well as what the players’ association contends is anecdotal evidence gathered by players over the years.