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In 1977, one of the greatest running backs in National Football League history graduated from the University of Texas Austin, and was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the 1978 draft. The player’s name was Earl Campbell. He played for eight punishing seasons in the NFL, winning honors in almost every season. He retired after eight years; this is an extremely short career in the NFL. Earl Campbell retired because he felt the punishment he’d taken had diminished his capacity as a player, and had affected his health.
Earl Campbell was correct. The number of bone-crushing tackles he’d endured, and the short, leg-powered runs he’d made had left him with early onset osteoarthritis. Earl Campbell is still a relatively young man - he’s 59 this year – but he is sometimes forced to use a wheelchair to get around, due the pain in his knees and back. He attributes the back pain to a congenital defect aggravated by his years in the NFL, but the arthritis is definitely a legacy of his pro sports career.
Earl Campbell Power Back Of All Time
Arthritis and the NFL
Statistics tell a sobering tale about former NFL players and arthritis. A large percentage of former players suffer from osteoarthritis, and at a relatively young age. Osteoarthritis is normally associated with aging, but it can occur early due to injuries or repetitive stress. The pounding NFL players take during their careers causes’ early-onset osteoarthritis in a 3:1 ratio over the normal male in the United States. 40 percent of NFL players have arthritis in their knees, and it can be directly attributed to injuries received during their career.
Arthritis and Earl Campbell
Earl Campbell is one of the most honored running backs in the history of the NFL. He retired after a short career, as he felt his capacity was severely diminished from the punishment he’d taken. Earl Campbell has severe arthritis in his knees, and has had it for a number of years. This arthritis is a direct result of his playing career and his playing style, and the repetitive stress it placed on his joints. For a prominent player to retire after only eight seasons, the pain level he’s experiencing must be extreme. Earl Campbell chose to leave the NFL with his legacy intact, not after arthritis had damaged more than his knees. He became a businessman, and is very successful, but he suffers tremendous pain as a result of his NFL career.
What Earl Campbell Can Do
There are not many allopathic treatments for osteoarthritis, other than topical analgesics, oral NSAID analgesics, and narcotics, terminating in complete joint replacements. A variety of alternative treatment is available, starting with glucosamine sulfate, and topical such as arnica or blue emu oil. MSM is very helpful, as is boswellia extract, and many herbal pain remedies are also in the alternative pharmacopeia. Finding a knowledgeable person to help you with your journey is your first step; holistic physicians, naturopaths, and knowledgeable lay people working at health food stores are good places to start. The Internet is also a good resource, but keep caveat emptor firmly in mind, as quacks and sharks abound in the Internet waters. There are many, many legitimate alternative practitioners who educate, inform, and offer supplements on the Internet, so just keep a pinch of salt handy as you peruse the web looking for them.
Conclusion
The National Football League has many benefits for its fans, coaches, investors, advertisers, support personnel, and sportscasters. It has benefits for its players as well, but these benefits can come at a high cost. Early onset osteoarthritis is a severe price to pay for at most twenty years as a player, and twenty years in the league is a long, long time. Football carries the potential for severe head injuries, resulting in concussions, and it wreaks havoc on a player’s joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. A player can help himself by using supplements before he suffers injuries, and by definitely using supplements after his playing days are ended. Educating himself on arthritis, and how he can minimize its effects, and finding alternative or integrative medical practitioners to help him as he ages is critical to his long-term quality of life. And it can be a good life; relatively pain-free, with easy mobility, if he works at it as hard as he worked at his pro football career. The rewards are more than worth it.
Earl Campbell talks about his career in the NFL
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