NFL Sober Coach: Toradol Is Becoming the NFL’s Drug of Choice
So these days NFL players seem to have a “job security blanket”. If they get nicked up or even seriously injured, players are lining up in front of their trainers for a simple Toradol shot to numb the pain so that they can get on the field and earn their pay and incentives.
The NFL’s culture around the use of this non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug is shifting. Slowly. Team to team, Toradol’s use has become more measured. But according to an unprecedented survey by B/R Mag, it remains the drug of choice for powering professional football players through the violence of the sport. B/R Mag spent the NFL season interviewing 50 active players who said they have taken Toradol—rookies and vets, fantasy picks and pro bowlers, free agents, superstars, journeymen—and granted anonymity to allow them to speak openly about their medical treatment without fear of repercussion from their employers or the league.
And they did open up: about the blood and the cracked ribs, the twisted fingers and the mangled knees, all pushed aside by a needle or a pill. You can count on Toradol—a brand name for the drug ketorolac that a doctor compares to a stronger and faster-acting version of Advil or Aleve—to serve as a quick fix for many of the injuries these players incur. Look at Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo last year. You aren’t supposed to lose your job to injury. But Romo did lose his job to injury. No ifs, and, or buts. Other NFL players see this and fear for their paycheck and will do whatever it takes to get on the field and hold off the inner competition gunning for their jobs.
Of the 50 players surveyed last year before the playoffs started, 40 say they’re “not concerned” or “mildly concerned” about the long-term damage they’ve done to their bodies as a result of taking Toradol. Players instead overwhelmingly agree that the need to play trumps health repercussions. Of the 50, 23 admit they’ve taken Toradol for “years,” as opposed to “days” or “months.”All 50 players agree it’s most effective to take Toradol on game day, typically an hour or so before warm-ups. Players are claiming that the Toradol shot zaps the inflammation and kills the pain. They also say it keeps the pain away until Monday or Tuesday after game day.
The problem is that while that pain is completely numbed, more damage is being done to the body. Sometimes permanent damage is being done. Pain itself is our body’s alarm system to keep us from doing further damage and if this alarm system is turned off, the physical consequences could be severe.
Independent studies are also showing that over 40% of NFL players using Toradol are also using opiate pain killers during the week. We all know the dangers that opiate pain killers bring with addiction and overdoses. We here at www.NFLSoberCoach.com work hand in hand with NFL players and all athletes to battle pain killer abuse and opiate abuse. There are natural methods that can be used to help with pain management that doesn’t involve Toradol or pain killers. If you know any athlete who needs help with Toradol or opiate abuse call us at 1-800-706-0318. Call us today.
