NFL football players don’t often pull out Kleenex to dab the corners of their eyes.  Perhaps only upon losing the Superbowl or blowing out a knee in a game.

However, an interesting study of retired football players looked at their depression and pain levels.  15% of these retired players had moderate to severe depression.  But guess how many had moderate to severe pain?

48% - yikes!

Those tackles take their toll!  Blocking 450-pound opponents isn’t good for your body!

These sportsmen with depression or in pain also had an assortment of other problems more often than players without depression or pain.  They:

• had trouble sleeping
• didn’t exercise
• were less fit
• had financial difficulties
• lacked social support and friendships
• had drug or alcohol problems
• had trouble with the transition to life after football

And if they had both pain and depression, they experienced even more of these problems.

The authors of the study (one a retired quarterback) recommend that the NFL provide education and clinical outreach programs for its players around these issues.  A touchdown of an idea – and one I hope comes to pass!

The study appears in the April, 2007 issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.