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Background: In professional basketball, Jones fractures are among the most common cause of lower extremity stress injury. Despite its prevalence, there is a paucity of research on the impact of Jones fractures on athletic performance in the National Basketball Association (NBA)., Purpose: To determine the impact of Jones fractures on return to play and performance among NBA players when compared with preinjury values and healthy matched controls., Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3., Methods: NBA injury reports were analyzed to identify 18 players who sustained a Jones fracture between 2011 and 2022. Reports were verified through public press releases, social media accounts, and player profiles. A publicly available database was used to collect player data including position, age, and years of NBA experience. Performance and advanced statistics were collected for seasons pre- and postinjury. Players were 1:1 matched with healthy controls based on age, player position, and career performance. Univariate and multivariable regression analyses were performed to compare advanced and per-game performance statistics between injured and healthy control players., Results: NBA players who sustained a Jones fracture had a mean age of 23.9 ± 2.31 years at the time of injury. The mean NBA experience was 3.00 ± 2.35 years and mean preinjury minutes played per game was 19.64 ± 11.24. All players (18/18) were able to return to NBA-level competition the year following the injury. There was no change in player efficiency rating (PER), value added, and estimated wins added metrics when comparing pre- and postinjury performances among injured players. Injured players missed more games ( P < .001) postinjury compared with the matched controls. Multivariate analysis revealed that for players with a height of <2 m, every additional centimeter of height significantly decreased postinjury PER by 1.08 (95% CI, 0.35-1.80; P < .01)., Conclusion: Despite its severity, most NBA players who sustain Jones fractures can return to preinjury performance and level of competition. There was no statistically significant decline in advanced statistics in the following season after injury, with a significant decrease in games played when comparing injured players with their healthy controls., Competing Interests: One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: This publication was made possible by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, which is funded in part by grant No. UL1TR003098 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, a component of the National Institutes of Health; and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. A.A.A. has received consulting fees from Bioventus, Novastep, Smith & Nephew, Vilex, and Arthrex; education payments from Supreme Orthopaedic Systems, Southern Edge Orthopaedics, and Arthrex; and nonconsulting fees from Arthrex and Medline Industries. J.R.K. has received consulting fees from Wright Medical Technology, Novastep, and Vilex; hospitality payments from TriMed, Micromed, and Novastep; and education payments from Arthrex. AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Background: Traumatic ankle injuries are commonly complicated by persistent symptoms and the development of chronic ankle instability., Purpose: To describe the epidemiology of ankle injuries in the National Football League (NFL) and investigate the effects that ankle injuries have on performance metrics in the years after injury., Study Design: Descriptive epidemiologic study., Methods: Ankle injuries sustained by NFL players during the 2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018 seasons were identified using the Pro Football Reference database. Cumulative incidence was calculated, and demographic identifiers were collected for each injury. The return-to-play (RTP) rate was also recorded. For each player who met inclusion for the performance analysis, power rating (PR) was calculated for the preinjury season (Y-1) and 2 postinjury seasons (Y+1 and Y+2) as follows: PR = ( offensive yards /10) + ( total touchdowns × 6) + ( combined tackle s) + ( sacks × 2) + ( interceptions × 2). Mean PRs were calculated for each season as well as the percentage change and mean difference in PR between Y-1 and Y+1 (ΔPR 1 %, ΔPR 1 ) and between Y-1 and Y+2 (ΔPR 2 %, ΔPR 2 ). Subgroup analyses of PR were performed by player position, injury type, and years of experience., Results: Overall, 668 ankle injuries were identified, with an average cumulative incidence across the 3 seasons of 11.2% and RTP rate of 91%. Of those injuries, 159 met inclusion criteria for the PR analysis. The mean overall PR (96.95 in Y-1) declined 22% in Y+1 to 76.10 (-20.85 [95% CI, -13.82 to -27.89]; P < .001) and 27% in Y+2 to 70.93 (-26.02 [95% CI, -18.04 to -34.00]; P < .001). The mean PR per game played (6.70 in Y-1) decreased 14% in Y+1 to 5.75 (-0.95 [95% CI, -0.56 to -1.34]; P < .001) and 17% in Y+2 to 5.54 (-1.16 [95% CI, -0.63 to -1.62]; P < .001)., Conclusion: It was found that ankle injuries hampered the performance of NFL players, even multiple years after the injury occurred, despite a relatively high RTP rate. There was a decrease in total games played after ankle injuries as well as a decreased performance output per game played., Competing Interests: One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: P.R.A. has received education payments from Southern Edge Orthopaedics. C.A.P. has received education payments from Arthrex. A.A.A. has received education payments from Arthrex; consulting fees from Arthrex, Medline Industries, and Vilex; speaking fees from Arthrex and Medline Industries; honoraria from Paragon 28; and hospitality payments from Smith & Nephew and Stryker. AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto., (© The Author(s) 2022.)