The study was published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine and featured the outcomes of 52 NFL offensive and defensive linemen who had herniated disc surgery. After the surgery, the players who returned played an average of 33 games during the three years after surgery.
“The numbers show they were able to get back to the extreme and sustained activity of playing football on an NFL level,” Dr. Weistroffer said in the report, which can encourage patients to return to their daily activities after surgery. “If a football player can get back to playing football again, you, too, can resume normal life. Just because you had disc surgery doesn’t mean you are going to be broken for life.”
Read the Medical News Today report on Dr. Joseph Weistroffer’s study.
Read other coverage on spine studies:
– Study: Unilateral Laminotomy Decreases Operative Times, Blood Loss
– Study: Spine Surgeons Often Fail to Identify Psychological Distress in Patients
– SPORT: Patients Undergoing Surgery for Lower Back Pain, Leg Pain Improve More Than Nonoperative Treatment
