title: Common Shoulder Injuries in American Football Athletes.
abstract: American football is a collision sport played by athletes at high speeds. Despite the padding and conditioning in these athletes, the shoulder is a vulnerable joint, and injuries to the shoulder girdle are common at all levels of competitive football. Some of the most common injuries in these athletes include anterior and posterior glenohumeral instability, acromioclavicular pathology (including separation, osteolysis, and osteoarthritis), rotator cuff pathology (including contusions, partial thickness, and full thickness tears), and pectoralis major and minor tears. In this article, we will review the epidemiology and clinical and radiographic workup of these injuries. We also will evaluate the effectiveness of surgical and nonsurgical management specifically related to high school, collegiate, and professional football athletes.
authors.affiliation: 1Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611; 2Orthopaedic Surgery, Center for Shoulder, Elbow and Sports Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032; 3Emergency Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07101; 4Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern Orthopaedic Institute, Chicago, IL 60611.
authors.forename: Daniel B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Gibbs
authors.forename: T Sean
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.forename: Erika D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Nuber
authors.forename: Gordon W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Nuber
mesh_terms: D005538:Football / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D011859:Radiography; D017006:Rotator Cuff / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000070636:Rotator Cuff Injuries; D012783:Shoulder Dislocation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D012784:Shoulder Fractures / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D000070599:Shoulder Injuries; D014481:United States