Abstract
Objectives:
While calf strains are a common injury seen in the National Football League (NFL), there is currently no data that examines which players are suffering these injuries, how quickly they return, how well they play upon return, and how likely they are to suffer the same injury again. This study aims to dive deeper into the history of calf strains in the NFL throughout the past 10 seasons to answer these questions.
Methods:
This study included all NFL players who suffered a calf strain between 2013 and 2022. The data was collected using publicly available reports. Among the information gathered includes player age, player position, number of games missed, preseason participation, and rate of return. Performance pre- and postinjury was also examined for players who met inclusion criteria using data from Pro Football Focus. A paired t test analysis of the change in player performance was used for analysis.
Results:
In this study, 349 calf strains were identified between 2012 and 2022, involving 294 individual players. The average age of injured player was 27 years old. Wide receivers had the highest incidence of calf strain injury amongst all positions (48) and led all positions in players who did not return the rest of the season after injury (9). Of all injuries, 52.7% occurred in offensive players. The average number of games missed after injury was 1.97. 26.7% of the players with a calf strain played in zero preseason games before the season in which the injury occurred. A total of 83.7% of players with the injury returned to play during the same year. Offensive guards led all position players in those who did not return to play within the same season after injury (31.8%). Among all players who returned in the same season and met inclusion criteria, there were no significant changes in player performance from pre to postinjury. A total of 20.7% of players suffered another calf strain or Achilles tendon injury at some point throughout the rest of their careers after initial injury with wide receivers being the position group with the highest prevalence (11).
Conclusions:
NFL players returned in the same season 83.7% of the time and suffered no decline in performance following a strained calf. Over 20% of players suffered the same injury or a related injury to the Achilles tendon after first injury in this time period. Whether the reinjuries occurred in the contralateral or ipsilateral leg was not readily available data. Therefore, a more in- depth examination is required to see if a relationship exists between these variables.
