The Mount Sinai Hospital is 1 of 5 sites in the United States that serves as a preferred spine care site for retired National Football League (NFL) players. In 2009, the NFL created a special spine treatment program dedicated to assuring that retired football players receive the highest quality spine care available. Mount Sinai was the only health system in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region chosen to serve the players as part of this NFL Spine Care Program for Retired NFL Players.

Led by Andrew Hecht, MD, Chief of Spine Surgery and Director of the Spine Center at Mount Sinai, the NFL Spine Care Program at Mount Sinai offers facilitated, state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment for eligible former players. “The program reflects the NFL’s commitment to care for its athletes, not just during their time playing, but afterwards,” says Dr. Hecht, who finds it particularly rewarding to help players maintain active, full lives, “doing all the things they enjoy.”

“Our team of specialists is thrilled to have been included among the medical institutions that are helping retired NFL players, providing them with the most technically advanced surgical procedures for spine care and all related services,” adds Hecht.

Who Is Eligible?

Any former NFL player who is vested under the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Player Retirement Plan is eligible to participate in the Mount Sinai NFL Spine Care Program. Financial assistance through the NFL Player Care Foundation (PCF) may be available for eligible players who cannot afford the cost. For additional information about the PCF players may call 1-800-NFL-GOAL or 1-800-635-4625. To Make an Appointment with Mount Sinai’s NFL Spine Care Program, please call Dr. Andrew Hecht’s office at 212-241-0735.

Services

Former players will receive a comprehensive evaluation and have access to the latest, most innovative spine care diagnostics and treatments available, as warranted. Dr. Hecht personally coordinates any operative and non-operative care needed.

Services include but are not limited to:

• Comprehensive evaluation
• Highly personalized treatment plans
• Coordination of care among a multidisciplinary team of spine care experts
• State-of-the-art surgical procedures and pain management techniques
• Comprehensive rehabilitation for spinal injuries, pathologies/dysfunctions, and pain

Other participating institutions in the NFL Spine Care Program for Retired Players are:

• Emory Spine Center, Atlanta, GA
• University of California Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
• University of California Medical Center, San Francisco, CA
• Spine Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL