Prophylactic Knee Bracing in Offensive Linemen of the National Football League: A Retrospective Analysis of Usage Trends, Player Performance, and Major Knee Injury.

Background: Offensive linemen in American football are prone to high-energy valgus forces to the knee, leading to associated injuries. Some offensive linemen in the National Football League (NFL) wear prophylactic knee braces (PKB) to prevent ligamentous injury.

Purpose/hypothesis: This purpose of the study was to compare injury rates and performance between NFL offensive linemen who wear PKB and those who do not.

Returning Athletes to Sports Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of this review is to discuss treatment options, rehabilitation protocols, return-to-play criteria, and expected outcomes after non-operative and operative treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears among an athletic population.

Recent Findings: Non-operative treatment may be a viable option for some athletes with an ACL tears but can be difficult to predict "copers," and those that resume to sports return at lower performance level and/or less intense activities. Most studies assessing function after ACL reconstruction demonstrate favorable outcomes using patient-reported outcome studies.

Pectoralis Major Ruptures in the National Football League: Incidence, RTP, and Performance Analysis.

Background: While pectoralis major (PM) tears are rare injuries in National Football League (NFL) athletes (previous study reported only 10 PM ruptures between 2000 and 2010), the incidence of these injuries has increased over the past decade. The impact these injuries have on a player's performance after return has not been measured.

Purpose/hypothesis: To identify player characteristics that may predispose to PM tears and to determine the impact of this injury on return to play and performance.