Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34901290›Full record

ArticleOrthopaedic journal of sports medicine2021

Influence of Preseason Versus In-Season Play on Achilles Tendon Injuries in the National Football League.

Lauren V Ready, Neill Y Li, Samantha Worobey, Nicholas J Lemme, Daniel S Yang, JaeWon Yang, Michael Krill, Brett D Owens

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 42% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Preseason Workload in Collegiate Baseball Pitchers.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2025
    Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Lauren V ReadyWarren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Neill Y LiDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Samantha WorobeyWheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts, USA.
Nicholas J LemmeDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Daniel S YangWarren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
JaeWon YangWarren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Michael KrillDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Iowa Sports Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
Brett D OwensDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Brown University · USWheaton College - Massachusetts · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA ruptured Achilles tendon (AT) can sideline a player for 6 to 12 months and reduce their power rankings by more than 50%. Previous research has compared AT rupture rates in different game conditions. PURPOSE: To determine environmental and physiological risk factors for AT tears, given the minimal amount of research on AT ruptures in the National Football League (NFL). STUDY

designCase series; Level of evidence, 4.

methodsNFL players with a diagnosed AT tear between 2009 and 2016 were selected as the study population for this retrospective analysis. Data on NFL injury were collected from an established database composed of publicly available information. Player profiles were employed to determine position, team, and game statistics at the time of injury. The proportion of NFL rookies was approximated by summing the number of draft picks and the number of signed, undrafted free agents and measured against the number of roster spots before the season.

resultsBetween 2009 and 2016, there were 101 documented AT tears. Of these, 64% (65/101) occurred before the official season, including preseason games. Of the 36 tears that occurred in-season, 34 were during games. Overall, 29% (19/65) of the preseason tears occurred in rookies and 100% (36/36) of the in-season tears affected nonrookies. Of the rookies with AT ruptures, 42.11% returned to play in the NFL, while 62.20% of the nonrookies came back to partake in future seasons. Despite an average age of 26.7 years, the tear distribution was bimodal with players aged 24 and 36 years exhibiting the highest rates of tear.

conclusionIn our review of AT tears in NFL athletes, a large percentage of the tears occurred in rookie players, especially during the preseason. We also found that tears during the season occurred in only nonrookies, suggesting that the preseason is when rookies experience the greatest risk for injury.

Indexed as

Achilles tendonankle injurylower extremity injurysports medicinetendon injury

Identifiers

PMID34901290
PMCPMC8655453
OpenAlexW4200622972

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.