Американдық футболшылардың денсаулығына қауіптер

Dangers to the health of athletes participating in American football

Health issues in American football comprise a large number of health risks associated with participating in the sport. Injuries are relatively common in American football, due to its nature as a full contact game. Injuries occur during both practice and games. Several factors can affect the frequency of injuries: epidemiological studies have shown older players can be at a greater risk, while equipment and experienced coaches can reduce the risk of injury. Common injuries include strains, sprains, fractures, dislocations, and concussions. Concussions have become a concern, as they increase the risk of mental illnesses like dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In individual leagues like the National Football League (NFL) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a public injury report is published containing all injured players on a team, their injury and the game day status of each player. Catastrophic injuries—defined as serious injury to the spine, spinal cord, or brain—and fatalities are uncommon in football; both have become less common since the 1970s, although a small number of them still occur each year. Both concussions and catastrophic injuries can be caused by helmet to helmet collisions as well as impact against the ground or other players' knees; in other cases, they can be caused by players who have sustained a head injury returning to play, which can place the player at risk of sustaining a severe injury. Despite the decrease in catastrophic injuries, a greater number of NFL players have reported major injuries and shortened careers since the 1970s, in part due to the increasing size and speed of players and the use of artificial turf. In many cases, injuries sustained while playing can cause long term damage. In addition to neurological damage caused by hits to the head, injuries to the mid and lower body can force players to retire or lead to nagging ailments in later life. Various methods have been used to reduce injuries in football, including rule changes such as the abolition of large wedge formations; a sharp decline in cervical spine injuries since the 1970s has been attributed to rule changes that altered blocking and tackling techniques. More recently, rule changes to protect players from head injuries have been instituted. Equipment like the football helmet and pads are used to give players a level of protection from injuries, while other factors such as cleat size are used to minimize the risk of injuries due to field condition.

An injury report section is common in the sports sections of American newspapers, detailing injuries for each team and the amount of time each injured player is expected to be out. The injury report was created to prevent gamblers from gaining inside information about injuries from players, and as a result, NFL teams must report on the status of injured players on a set schedule during the season. The standard severity descriptions are "out" (will not play in the upcoming game); "doubtful" (25% chance of playing); "questionable" (50% chance of playing); or "probable" (75% chance of playing). Teams have been known to downplay, exaggerate or overly detail their teams' injuries in an attempt to confuse or mislead upcoming opponents. Injured players may be placed on one of several injured lists, including the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. If a player is injured in an event outside of a game or team practice, or during collegiate practice prior to being drafted, he is eligible for the Nonfootball Injury list. Players who have sustained major injuries and are not expected to play for the rest of the season may be placed on the Injured Reserve (IR) list. These players do not count towards the teams' roster limit. Aside from concussions, orthopedic injuries are among the most common in the National Football League. These injuries consist of trauma such as tears in the achilles, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and patellar tendon. A study was done but the Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern University, where they studied the "return to play rate" (RTP) for given orthopedic procedures done based on a given injury. They found that out of 559 NFL players, the most difficult injuries for NFL players to return to play in were patellar tendon tears (50.0 %) and achilles tears (72.5%).

According to the College Football Assistance Fund, over 20,000 injuries occur from college football each year. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) maintains an injury list similar to that used by the NFL – injured players are listed as "Out", "Doubtful", "Questionable", or "Probable", but suspended players are also included on the list. College players are limited to four years of eligibility, but can receive a medical redshirt that lets them play another year if they have suffered a season ending injury and have not played in more than 30% of the season's games.

In addition to immediate health effects, some injuries sustained during a player's career can have effects that extend to their post career life. A cohort mortality study by researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) examined 3,349 NFL players who played at least five full seasons from 1959 to 1988. The findings from this study suggest that, in comparison to the typical American male, NFL players live longer on average but have around three times the risk of death associated with neurodegenerative disorders. In particular, the risk of death from Alzheimer's disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was roughly four times higher among former players than the average American male.

Injuries have always been a part of football, and various methods have been used historically and in modern times to prevent or minimize them. One method that has been used to prevent injuries is changing the rules of the sport. An early example of this was the elimination of mass formations like the flying wedge in the early 1900s, due to the large number of severe injuries the formations caused. Smaller wedges consisting of three, four, or five players were frequently used on kickoff returns before wedges were limited to two or fewer players in 2009 by the NFL; a similar rule was adopted by the NCAA a year later. The sharp decrease in the number of catastrophic cervical spine injuries since the mid 1970s has been partially credited to rule changes that modified tackling and blocking techniques. Similarly, modern equipment was developed to reduce injuries. The football helmet, although a scapegoat for concussions, serves as effective protection against more dangerous injuries like skull fractures. Helmets later evolved to be made of hard plastic, and a facemask was added to protect players from sustaining facial injuries. Many players also wear mouthguards to prevent injuries to their teeth and tongues; at some levels, such as the NCAA, the use of a mouthguard is mandatory. Football players wear a number of pads to protect themselves – shoulder pads are the most important pads, protecting the shoulder and sternum, but thigh pads, hip pads, tail pads, and knee pads are also used. Many quarterbacks wear flak jackets to protect their ribcage. Cleats come in a number of lengths, with players choosing which cleat to use based on the playing field – players prefer a shorter cleat when playing on artificial turf to prevent their feet from digging into the ground and risking injury, while longer cleats are generally used on fields that are wet or slippery to provide better traction. Additionally, studies have shown that proper conditioning techniques, fitness routines and exercise routines, as well as high quality equipment and coaching, can reduce the risk of injury among players.