@article{ref1,
title="Performance and survivorship of National Football League players with pectoralis major injuries",
journal="Arthroscopy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation",
year="2021",
author="Bodendorfer, Blake M. and DeFroda, Steven F. and Shu, Henry T. and Knapik, Derrick M. and Yang, Daniel S. and Verma, Nikhil N.",
volume="3",
number="4",
pages="e1097-e1104",
abstract="PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine return-to-play (RTP), performance and career survivorship for National Football League (NFL) athletes sustaining pectoralis major (PM) injuries with comparison among grades of injury and between nonoperative and operative management. <br><br>METHODS: Publicly available data from the 1998-2020 NFL seasons were reviewed to identify athletes with PM injuries. Athlete characteristics were collected 1 season before and 2 seasons after injury. Percent of total games played in a season, player efficiency rating (PER), and Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades were compared for the preinjury season and 2 postinjury seasons. Kaplan-Meier survivorship plots were computed for RTP and postinjury career length, whereas a log-rank test was used to compare survivorship differences. <br><br>RESULTS: In total, 258 PM injuries were reported at a mean age of 27.1 ± 3.3 years. A total of 126 surgical repairs occurred in 48.8% (n = 126) of injuries, with athletes undergoing repair possessing a lower RTP rate and longer time to RTP compared to athletes treated conservatively (P <.001). Survival analysis revealed shorter career length for athletes sustaining PM tears compared to strains (P <.001), although no difference in career length was appreciated on the basis of injury management (P =.980). Defensive linemen and wide receivers had lower PER during their second postinjury seasons (P =.019 and.030, respectively), whereas defensive linemen had lower PFF grades during their second post-injury seasons (P =.044). <br><br>CONCLUSION: NFL athletes requiring PM repair may experience a lower likelihood of RTP, and longer RTP timing, likely because of higher-grade injuries. Defensive linemen and wide receivers experiencing PM injuries are at risk for diminished performance post-injury. Career length does not appear to be affected based on injury management. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, cohort study.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2666-061X",
doi="10.1016/j.asmr.2021.03.015",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asmr.2021.03.015"
}