Wellness Wednesday

Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Muscle Related Injuries

A study conducted by the Hospital for Special Surgeries (HSS) found that more than half of college football players who participated in the 2015 NFL combine had inadequate levels of  vitamin D.

The NFL combine is the site of a gathering of some of the most elite college athletes in the world, who conduct a variety of drills to show off their athletic prowess to prospect teams looking for who they should draft with their handful of picks. The athletes also undergo physicals at the combine, so that teams can take a look at the progression of an athlete's possible previous injuries, and their respective durability in the NFL. During the physicals and wellness screenings during the 2015 combine, HSS physicians collected baseline data that included age (average was 22), BMI, injury history and whether they had missed any games due to lower extremity or core muscle strain. HSS then collected the vitamin D levels of players through blood samples.

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The research found that 59% of the athletes had abnormal serum levels of vitamin D, with 10% of those players being severely deficient in vitamin D. Fourteen out of the 246 combine players reported missing at lease one game during the previous season due to lower extremity or core injury, and of the fourteen who reported the injury, 86% were vitamin D deficient. This deficiency is not just limited to professional athletes, however, as it is estimated that more than 40% of Americans are deficient in the vitamin manufactured in part by the sun. Those who are concerned about vitamin D deficiency should ask their doctor about possible supplementation, as vitamin D is vital in maintaining proper bone and muscle strength.