Today's football players may see longer, healthier lives

Even with advances in sports medicine, more research is needed to prevent this generation from sustaining the debilitating injuries that mark many athletes' retirements.

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, AMNews staff. Nov. 11, 2002.

When orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, MD, gave a speech a few years ago to the National Football League Alumni Assn. about health issues affecting retired professional players, he was saddened by what he saw.

"It was very depressing to see them walking around on crutches," said Dr. Andrews, a physician for several professional and collegiate football teams. "One guy had already had his third or fourth total knee revision, and he was only 50-something years old. They aren't able to actively pursue any recreational activities, and some of them can't even work."

But cirumstances are changing, and the current generation of football players may not suffer the fate of the previous ones, said physicians who treat these athletes. Sports medicine and the sport itself are very different from even 10 years ago.

The National Football League and the NFL Players Assn. created a safety and welfare committee in 1993 to work toward improving player health. These days, players are in better physical condition before they ever get to the field. Reconstructive surgery is also radically improved.

"Twenty years ago we didn't know how to reconstruct an anterior cruciate ligament," Dr. Andrews said. "We've made big strides in really being able to fix these injuries."

Also, the lifestyles of pro football players are very different. Few of these athletes smoke, and they tend to eat better than players 20 years ago. Anabolic steroids have been banned, and athletes are regularly tested for illicit drug use. [...]