A new study published in Spine examines disc herniations reported in the National Football League.
The retrospective study examined all disc herniations reported from 2000 to 2012 in the NFL's surveillance database. There were 275 disc herniations reported in the lumbar and cervical spine. The researchers found:
• 76 percent of the disc herniations were in the lumbar spine.
• L5-S1 was most frequently affected.
• Offensive linemen were most often injured.
• Blocking was the single activity causing most of the injuries.
• The average loss of games after lumbar disc herniations was 11 games.
• Players with thoracic disc herniations sat out for the most games on average.
• Players with cervical disc herniation missed the most practice.
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