Today, a study was released that informed the public that there is no greater risk of injury playing sports on an artificial surface compared to a grass surface, according to an Italian study.
Researchers examined a total of 2,580 hours of soccer played in the top Italian soccer division during the 2011-2012 season, which was divided between 1,270 hours played on artificial turf and 1,310 hours played on grass. They found for every 1000 hours played, 23 injuries were recorded on artificial surfaces, compared to 20 on grass surfaces. Researchers determined this difference was not statistically significant.
Another study had the same findings and decided that the injury rate on both surfaces were not significantly different.
Muscle strains were the most common injury during play. Overall, the injury rate on both surfaces was not significantly different.
Soccer injuries are generally defined as either cumulative(overuse) or acute (traumatic) injuries.
Overuse injuries occur over time due to stress on the muscles, joints and soft tissues without proper time for healing. They begin as a small, nagging ache or pain, and can grow into a debilitating injury if they aren't treated early.
The use of artificial playing surfaces at sport venues has significantly increased in recent years.
Primarily due to the advantages of artificial turf over natural grass: longer playing hours, lower maintenance costs and greater resilience to harsh weather conditions. Despite these advantages, many elite professional soccer teams are reluctant to install artificial turf because of a perception that injuries occur more often on these types of surfaces.
New research presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found no greater injury risk for athletes playing on artificial playing surfaces.
The study’s authors concluded that there are no major differences between the nature and causes of injuries sustained on artificial turf and those that occur on natural grass surfaces.
For every 1,000 hours of play there were 23 injuries recorded on artificial surfaces and 20 on grass, with muscle strains being the most common injury (13 on artificial turf, 14 on grass).
As expected, most injuries in soccer affect the feet and legs.
50-80% of soccer injuries affect the feet and legs. Usually areas most commonly injured in the legs are the ankle, foot, knee, and lower leg. 40-45% of leg injuries involve the ankle and foot. Most of those injuries are sprains or strains. Knee injuries account for 25% of leg injuries. The ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) tear is the most common major problem with injuries of the knee.
Chris Hughes, Executive Editor of Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine: The Injury Risks of Artificial Turf in Soccer had similar findings in 2011 compared to 2014.
This study looked at injury rates of newer generation turf vs. grass playing surfaces across three football codes (soccer, rugby union, American football) and essentially found comparable rates of injury, with a slight increase in ankle injuries on turf. The study group recommended that further study would be needed: “Clarification of effects of artificial surfaces on muscle and knee injuries are required given inconsistencies in incidence rate ratios depending on the football code, athlete, gender or match versus training.”
Synthetic turf will remain popular because of its versatility offered to several different sports.
Synthetic turf is a popular and versatile solution for other sports, such as field hockey, baseball, tennis, lacrosse and rugby.
