FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Football players can shrink 1/2 an inch during a game.

Turns out, those wince-worthy tackles do more than just bruise. Repetitive blocking, combined with the weight of a player’s pads and helmet, can compress the spine as much as a half-inch over the course of a game, according to a recent study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual meeting in May. While earlier studies showed that we normally lose some 1 percent in height during the day, football accelerates the process. But shorter players like Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew (5 feet, 7 inches) needn’t despair: The decrease in height is only temporary. “Once you get off your feet and take the compressive load off the spine’s vertebrae,” says Brian J. Campbell, lead author of the study, “the discs between the bones can absorb the water again, getting you back to normal height.”

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Why worry about shrinking when you have torn ACLs, strained hamstrings, and concussions to think about? Read up on the most common football injuries here.

But even the most catastrophic-looking injuries can have a happy ending. Last season, Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett suffered a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit during a kickoff return. Doctors feared permanent paralyzation, but thanks to innovative medical treatment—including pumping cold liquids through his veins to induce hypothermia—Everett made a remarkable recovery.

Jones-Drew isn’t the only NFL player who should worry about a temporary loss of height. San Diego Chargers running back Darren Sproles (5 feet, 6 inches), Baltimore Ravens running back Cory Ross (ditto), and St. Louis Rams wide receiver Dante Hall (5 feet, 8 inches) can also claim membership in the short-man squad. On the other hand, Tampa Bay Buccaneers tackle Jeremy Trueblood (6 feet, 8 inches) and Pittsburg Steelers tackle Max Starks (ditto) have height to spare.

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