Adlou Bahman, Grace John, Wilburn Christopher, Weimar Wendi
Sport Biomechanics Lab, School of Kinesiology, Auburn University, 301 Wire Rd, Auburn, AL 36830, USA.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Jun 13;13(12):1415. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13121415.
: Lower extremity non-contact injuries (LE-NCIs) pose a significant burden on the National Football League (NFL), with ongoing debates regarding playing surface safety. The stressful college-to-professional transition period for rookies, which can include adapting to new playing surfaces, may influence injury susceptibility. This study aimed to determine whether the transition in a home stadium turf type (natural grass, artificial, and hybrid) from the final college season to the rookie NFL season impacts LE-NCI likelihood. : A retrospective cohort study analyzed 826 first and second-round NFL draft picks from 2012 to 2024. Data on college/NFL home surfaces (defining six transition types), position group, college training surface access, and rookie season LE-NCIs were collected from public sources. Competing risk analysis was used to estimate the cumulative LE-NCI incidence. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the association between turf transition and LE-NCI risk, adjusting for position, draft cohort, and college training access. : During their rookie season, 21.2% (175/826) of players sustained an LE-NCI. Skill position players had significantly higher adjusted odds of LE-NCI compared to hybrid players (AOR = 1.88; 95% CI: 1.20-2.97; = 0.006). No specific turf transition category showed a statistically significant association with LE-NCI risk compared to the Grass-to-Grass reference in adjusted models. College training surface access was also not significantly associated with risk (AOR = 0.97; 95% CI: 0.65-1.45; = 0.874). Cumulative LE-NCI incidence reached 33.1% by season end, with risk accelerating between weeks 4 and 10. : Home stadium turf-type transition from college to the NFL was not significantly associated with LE-NCI risk in this rookie cohort, suggesting that surface transitions may not be a primary risk factor during the professional transition period. However, our analysis revealed significant position-dependent injury patterns (skill players: AOR = 1.88) and a temporal clustering of injuries between weeks 4 and 10, indicating that rookie LE-NCI prevention strategies should prioritize position-specific interventions and enhanced monitoring during the early- to mid-season high-risk period rather than surface transition-based approaches.
下肢非接触性损伤（LE-NCIs）给美国国家橄榄球联盟（NFL）带来了沉重负担，关于比赛场地安全性的争论仍在继续。新秀从大学到职业联赛的压力过渡期，包括适应新的比赛场地，可能会影响受伤易感性。本研究旨在确定从大学最后一个赛季到NFL新秀赛季主场体育场草皮类型（天然草皮、人工草皮和混合型）的转变是否会影响LE-NCI的发生可能性。
一项回顾性队列研究分析了2012年至2024年的826名NFL首轮和次轮选秀球员。从公共来源收集了关于大学/NFL主场场地（定义了六种转变类型）、位置组、大学训练场地使用情况和新秀赛季LE-NCIs的数据。采用竞争风险分析来估计累积LE-NCI发病率。多变量逻辑回归评估草皮转变与LE-NCI风险之间的关联，并对位置、选秀队列和大学训练场地使用情况进行了调整。
在新秀赛季，21.2%（175/826）的球员遭受了LE-NCI。与混合型球员相比，技术位置球员遭受LE-NCI的调整后优势显著更高（AOR = 1.88；95% CI：1.20 - 2.97；P = 0.006）。在调整后的模型中，与草皮到草皮的参考组相比，没有特定的草皮转变类别与LE-NCI风险存在统计学上的显著关联。大学训练场地使用情况也与风险无显著关联（AOR = 0.97；95% CI：0.65 - 1.45；P = 0.874）。到赛季结束时，累积LE-NCI发病率达到33.1%，在第4周和第10周之间风险加速上升。
在这个新秀队列中，从大学到NFL的主场体育场草皮类型转变与LE-NCI风险没有显著关联，这表明场地转变可能不是职业过渡期的主要风险因素。然而，我们的分析揭示了显著的位置依赖性损伤模式（技术球员：AOR = 1.88）以及第4周和第10周之间的损伤时间聚集性，这表明新秀LE-NCI预防策略应优先考虑针对特定位置的干预措施，并在赛季早期至中期的高风险期加强监测，而不是基于场地转变的方法。
