{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T15:22:52Z","timestamp":1777389772129,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2015,1,23]],"date-time":"2015-01-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1421971200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Am J Sports Med"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2015,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>It is currently unknown how pre-existing lumbar spine conditions may affect the medical evaluation, draft status, and subsequent career performance of National Football League (NFL) players.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Purpose:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To determine if a pre-existing lumbar diagnosis affects a player\u2019s draft status or his performance and longevity in the NFL.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Study Design:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Cohort study; Level 3.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The investigators evaluated the written medical evaluations and imaging reports of prospective NFL players from a single franchise during the NFL Scouting Combine from 2003 to 2011. Players with a reported lumbar spine diagnosis and with appropriate imaging were included in this study. Athletes were then matched to control draftees without a lumbar spine diagnosis by age, position, year, and round drafted. Career statistics and performance scores were calculated.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Of a total of 2965 athletes evaluated, 414 were identified as having a pre-existing lumbar spine diagnosis. Players without a lumbar spine diagnosis were more likely to be drafted than were those with a diagnosis (80.2% vs 61.1%, respectively, P &lt; .001). Drafted athletes with pre-existing lumbar spine injuries had a decrease in the number of years played compared with the matched control group (4.0 vs 4.3 years, respectively, P = .001), games played (46.5 vs 50.8, respectively, P = .0001), and games started (28.1 vs 30.6, respectively, P = .02) but not performance score (1.4 vs 1.8, respectively, P = .13). Compared with controls, players were less likely to be drafted if they had been diagnosed with spondylosis (62.37% vs 78.55%), a lumbar herniated disc (60.27% vs 78.43%), or spondylolysis with or without spondylolisthesis (64.44% vs 78.15%) ( P &lt; .001 for all), but there was no appreciable effect on career performance; however, the diagnosis of spondylolysis was associated with a decrease in career longevity ( P &lt; .05). Notably, 2 athletes who had undergone posterior lateral lumbar fusion were drafted. One played in 125 games, and the other is still active and has played in 108 games.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The data in this study suggest that athletes with pre-existing lumbar spine conditions were less likely to be drafted and that the diagnosis is associated with a decrease in career longevity but not performance. Players with lumbar fusion have achieved successful careers in the NFL.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/0363546514562548","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2015,1,23]],"date-time":"2015-01-23T21:52:42Z","timestamp":1422049962000},"page":"972-978","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":25,"title":["Pre-existing Lumbar Spine Diagnosis as a Predictor of Outcomes in National Football League Athletes"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"43","author":[{"given":"Gregory D.","family":"Schroeder","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"T. Sean","family":"Lynch","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Daniel B.","family":"Gibbs","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ian","family":"Chow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mark","family":"LaBelle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alpesh A.","family":"Patel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jason W.","family":"Savage","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wellington K.","family":"Hsu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gordon W.","family":"Nuber","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, NorthShore University, Chicago, Illinois, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2015,1,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00167-009-0767-3"},{"key":"bibr2-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1249\/01.mss.0000241637.52231.18"},{"key":"bibr3-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0363546509349035"},{"key":"bibr4-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0363546510382887"},{"key":"bibr5-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0363546508329542"},{"key":"bibr6-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/036354657400200201"},{"key":"bibr7-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/BRS.0b013e3181e50651"},{"key":"bibr8-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/BRS.0b013e3181bf8bb5"},{"key":"bibr9-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.spinee.2010.12.009"},{"key":"bibr10-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0363546503261721"},{"key":"bibr11-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00005768-199602000-00002"},{"key":"bibr12-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/036354658601400513"},{"key":"bibr13-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsm.37.3.263"},{"key":"bibr14-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3928\/01477447-20110627-23"},{"key":"bibr15-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00007632-200202150-00019"},{"key":"bibr16-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/JSM.0b013e3181efc259"},{"key":"bibr17-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/BRS.0000000000000321"},{"key":"bibr18-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0363546513499229"},{"key":"bibr19-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00007632-198103000-00012"},{"key":"bibr20-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00002517-199710000-00001"},{"key":"bibr21-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00007632-199903150-00014"},{"key":"bibr22-0363546514562548","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0363546510388901"}],"container-title":["The American Journal of Sports Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0363546514562548","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/0363546514562548","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0363546514562548","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T09:48:53Z","timestamp":1777369733000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0363546514562548"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2015,1,23]]},"references-count":22,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2015,4]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/0363546514562548"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0363546514562548","relation":{},"ISSN":["0363-5465","1552-3365"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0363-5465","type":"print"},{"value":"1552-3365","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2015,1,23]]}}}