NFL and the Harvard study plan

There is no doubt that the NFL is becoming more conscious about the players health.  Although player symptoms may not seem severe at the time, down the road players may develop more serious conditions. The conditions consist of chronic pain, arthritis, joint replacement, depression, diabetes, heart problems, and concussion related dementia.  This list only begins to skim the surface of all player injuries.  The NFL Players Association and the league are currently in contract negotiations with Harvard.  If the contract is accepted, Harvard will be rewarded a $100 million dollar award for the next 10 years.  This plan will be implemented to monitor players injuries and illnesses during and after their career.  What differentiates this plan from others is the fact that Harvard will examine the brain, as well as the whole body will be evaluated.  

The study group of this project consists of 100 players who are currently playing and retired from football who have sport related injuries.  Also, they will examine 100 healthy players with no injury history.  This allows for a baseline development of how players bodies are reacting to years of playing the sport, but how are these players picked?  In order for this study group to be comprised, the NFL Players Association and Harvard will examine a database of 1,100 players.  After examination, they will pick the healthiest players and the unhealthiest players.  By choosing this group of player's, it allows for project managers to see what the best and worst case scenarios are of the player’s health.  The players must submit a history and injury report that covers their entire football career. Previously, health care measures for football players only offered a snap shot of their health.  In most cases, the snap shot is a concussion report.  Some feel that concussion testing requirements are not adequate.  The study that is being discussed offers a whole report of the player’s health.  This is important because it allows for other factors that can determine a patient’s treatment process.  

This study is not only important for football players, but it can be important to the general population.  If tests results show new ways to repair ligaments faster, then the public can benefit from this.  This study can make great advances in the study of medical science and sports medicine.  New equipment can also be able to be put into use in future NFL seasons.  When looking back at the NFL, it is easy to identify that the helmets and pads have changed due to technology.  2013 is only a stepping stone for where sports medicine and injury prevention are leading to.  For more information please look at the following article.

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