Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Nov 28;5(11):2325967117740862.
doi: 10.1177/2325967117740862. eCollection 2017 Nov.

Game Schedules and Rate of Concussions in the National Football League

Masaru Teramoto  1 , Daniel M Cushman  1 , Chad L Cross  2 , Heather M Curtiss  1 , Stuart E Willick  1
Affiliations

Game Schedules and Rate of Concussions in the National Football League

Masaru Teramoto et al. Orthop J Sports Med. .

Abstract

Background: Concussion prevention in the National Football League (NFL) is an important priority for player safety. The NFL now has modified game schedules, and one concern is that unconventional game schedules, such as a shortened rest period due to playing on a Thursday rather than during the weekend, may lead to an increased risk of injuries.

Hypothesis: Unconventional game schedules in the NFL are associated with an increased rate of concussion.

Study design: Descriptive epidemiological study.

Methods: This study analyzed concussions and game schedules over the NFL regular seasons from 2012 to 2015 (4 years). Documented numbers of concussions, identified by use of the online database PBS Frontline Concussion Watch, were summarized by regular-season weeks. Association of days of rest and game location (home, away, or overseas) with the rate of concussion was examined by use of the χ2 test. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the relationships of days of rest and home/away games to the risk of repeated concussions, with adjustment for player position.

Results: A total of 582 concussions were analyzed in this study. A significantly greater number of concussions occurred in the second half of the season (P < .01). No significant association was found between the rate of concussion and the days of rest, game location, or timing of the bye week by the team or the opponent (P > .05). Game schedules were not significantly associated with the occurrence of repeat concussions (P > .05).

Conclusion: Unconventional game schedules in the NFL, including playing on Thursday and playing overseas, do not seem to put players at increased risk of concussions.

Keywords: National Football League (NFL); concussion; days of rest; epidemiology; game location; game schedules.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared that they have no conflicts of interest in the authorship and publication of this contribution.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Concussions by regular-season week during the 2012-2015 National Football League seasons (N = 582).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Associations for the rate of concussions between days of rest and home/away games during the 2012-2015 National Football League regular seasons (n = 547; 30 concussions in week 1 and 5 concussions during overseas games were excluded). χ2 2 = 1.85, Fisher exact P = .39.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Andersen TE, Arnason A, Engebretsen L, Bahr R. Mechanisms of head injuries in elite football. Br J Sports Med. 2004;38(6):690–696. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baugh CM, Kiernan PT, Kroshus E, et al. Frequency of head-impact-related outcomes by position in NCAA Division I collegiate football players. J Neurotrauma. 2015;32(5):314–326. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Breslow JM. PBS Frontline: about concussion watch. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/about-concussion-watch/. Accessed August 15, 2017.
    1. Buzzini SR, Guskiewicz KM. Sport-related concussion in the young athlete. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2006;18(4):376–382. - PubMed
    1. Casson IR, Viano DC, Powell JW, Pellman EJ. Twelve years of National Football League concussion data. Sports Health. 2010;2(6):471–483. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources