This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
NFL Combine athletes with previous ACL reconstruction started, played in fewer games
Results showed significantly lower early career National Football League player metrics among athletes at the NFL Combine who previously underwent ACL reconstruction.
Robert F. LaPrade , MD, Matthew T. Provencher, MD, and colleagues determined the number of games started, number of games played, draft number, overall draft pick and snap percentages among 110 players who participated in the NFL Combine between 2009 and 2015 and who either had a history of an ACL reconstruction or combined ACL injury and nonoperatively managed medial collateral ligament injury. Researchers compared the mean value of each outcomes metric between case and control players.
Results showed a significantly worse mean draft pick number and mean draft round among players in the ACL reconstruction group vs. controls. In both season 1 and season 2, researchers found significantly fewer games were started and played by players in the ACL reconstruction group. Players in the ACL reconstruction group also had a significantly lower snap percentage in both season 1 and season 2, according to results.
“Even in the high-level athletes at the NFL Combine who went on to play in the NFL, having a history of an ACL reconstruction negatively affected their career playing times. In particular, those with meniscectomies and with articular cartilage defects had significantly less games played and started,” LaPrade told Healio.com/Orthopedics. “This highlights the fact that we still need to work on improving outcomes after ACL surgeries in the future. In particular, preserving the meniscus by repairing rather than resecting meniscal tears and stabilizing unstable knees prior to the onset of articular cartilage defects and meniscal tears is imperative to improve patients’ function after an ACL tear.” – by Casey Tingle
Disclosures: Provencher reports he receives support from patent numbers 9226743, 20150164498, 20150150594 and 20110040339; receives publishing royalties from Arthrex and SLACK Incorporated; and receives consultant fees from Arthrex and JRF Ortho. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.