Depression, Pain, and Quality of Life in Retired Professional Football Players

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of pain and depressive symptoms in retired professional football players and to correlate these symptoms with daily difficulties. METHODS: A structured survey containing validated instruments, including the SF-36, PHQ-9, Insomnia Severity Index and Rand Social Health Battery, was administered in person to retired professional football players (n=99) attending health screening "camps" sponsored by the Living Heart Foundation in Atlanta, GA, and San Francisco, CA. RESULTS: Players were grouped by their self-report assessment of average level of pain over the last 4 weeks [no or mild pain (n=58) vs. moderate to severe pain (n=41)]. Players were also categorized as experiencing no or mild depression (n=88) vs. moderate to severe depression (n=5). There were significant correlations between higher levels of reported pain and decreased physical functioning, limitations with work or other daily activities, interference with social activities, and lack of energy. Higher pain levels were also correlated with increased depressive symptoms anddifficulties with sleep. CONCLUSION: Retired professional football players report high levels of pain that are associated with significant difficulties in their daily lives and reduced quality of life. The high frequency of daily pain in these players puts them at increased risk for developing depression, which could compound a wide range of functional and quality of life issues following retirement from football. High levels of pain were also associated with sleep disturbance, physical limitations, and emotional problems, all which could interfere with daily functioning.