June 25, 2026, 9:53 a.m. ET
The topic of NFL injury recovery is always at the forefront of a Lions fans’ minds. Here is an injury question I received from a reader:
Why might an NFL player recovery period be shorter than the rest of us?
This is a fascinating question by The Watcher. There are many reasons why an NFL player’s recovery period would be shorter than a normal civilian’s.
NFL players are in their athletic age prime, while civilians may not be.Comorbidities (associated health problems) like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, obesity, etc. will slow healing. NFL players rarely have these kinds of problems.The timeline goals of an NFL player are completely different compared to a typical job. NFL players get paid for 17 games per calendar year and there is a huge urgency to be available for those games. Most other jobs don’t have that kind of time urgency. The short and rigid work season of the NFL will affect rehab aggressiveness.NFL players’ job is to rest and rehab. There is no other job getting in the way of that. This isn’t true for most people who may often have to work through – and subsequently aggravate – an injury.NFL players are able to get imaging tests done and surgeries scheduled much faster than the general population. Thus, they can get a headstart on recovery.NFL players have the money and access to every possible rehabilitation device and technique. Whether this actually matters is debatable.
These are just some of the factors why an NFL player’s recovery will be faster on average than a normal “civilian”. Which factors actually makes a difference? Don’t expect any definitive answers as performing a quality study that controls for these variables would be borderline impossible and potentially unethical.
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The above was excerpted from Mailbag & Tidbits: DJ Reed stem cells, NFL vs non-NFL timelines, Sorsby supplemental draft.
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