A new study from the University of Missouri School of Medicine has found evidence that NFL players are returning to play too soon following knee injuries. This new work, titled “National Football League Players Have Higher Rates of Knee Extensor Mechanism Tears During Short and Normal Rest Weeks versus Long Rest Weeks,” appears in the May 9, 2025 edition of the Journal of Knee Surgery.
The University of Missouri (MU) School of Medicine researchers used data from the National Football League (NFL) injury reports, Pro-Football-Reference.com, and ESPN.com to identify 58 NFL players from the 2009-2023 season who tore their quadriceps tendon or patellar tendons. (Only regular season injuries after week one were included.)
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