NCAA SOCCER SAFETY STUDY

COMPARISON OF THE INCIDENCE, NATURE AND CAUSE OF GAME AND PRACTICE INJURIES SUSTAINED ON GRASS AND NEW GENERATION ARTIFICIAL TURF BY MALE AND FEMALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS.
Colin W Fuller, Randall W Dick, Jill Corlette and Rosemary Schmalz

The NCAA's Injury Surveillance System was used for a two-season study of American college and university men and women's soccer teams during games and practices through the 2005 and 2006 seasons. The findings conclude that there are no major differences in the incidence, severity, nature or cause of match and training injuries sustained on new generation artificial turf and grass by either male or female players.

GAME SITUATIONS

• No concussion injuries were sustained on artificial turf as a result of player-to-surface contact.
• 13% of concussion injuries sustained on grass by men and 7% by women were caused by player-to-surface contact.
• In women, 11.2% of player-to-surface injuries were on artificial turf while 15.5% of player-to-surface injuries were on grass.
• In men, 6.6% of player-to-surface injuries were on artificial turf while 7.8% of player-to-surface injuries were on grass.
• In women, 33% anterior cruciate ligament injuries, that were a result of non-contact events, were sustained on artificial turf while 38% of anterior cruciate ligament injuries, that were a result of non-contact events, were sustained on grass.

TRAINING SITUATIONS

• In women, only one concussion injury sustained on artificial turf was caused by player-to-surface contact.
• In men, no concussion injuries sustained on artificial turf were caused by player-to-surface contact.
• 18% of concussion injuries sustained on grass by men and 10% by women were caused by player-to-surface contact.
• For men, head/neck injuries, upper limb injuries and trunk injuries were noticeable lower on artificial turf compared to grass.
• For women, upper limb injuries and trunk injuries were noticeably lower on artificial turf than on grass, while lower limb injuries were nearly identical on both surfaces.
• The lower limb was the most common location of injuries sustained on artificial turf and grass in both male and female players.

BARNHILL REPORT

INCIDENCE, CAUSES, AND SEVERITY OF HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL INJURIES ON FIELDTURF VERSUS NATURAL GRASS: A 5-YEAR PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Michael C. Meyers, PhD, FACSM, and Bill S. Barnhill, MD - From the Human Performance Research Center, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas, and Panhandle Sports Medicine Associates, Amarillo, Texas

Over a five year period of competitive play, significant differences in the incidence, type and severity of game-related injuries were observed between playing surfaces. In regards to reducing the number of game-related, high school football injuries, current findings suggest an advantage in selecting FieldTurf over Natural Grass.

55% Fewer Neural Injuries
Type of Tissue Injured - Based on the total percentage of injuries reported on each playing surface, a significantly greater percentage of neural injuries were reported on Natural Grass vs FieldTurf.
(16.8% Natural Grass vs 7.5% FieldTurf)

47% Fewer Cranial / Cervical Injuries
Anatomic Location of Injury - More cranial / cervical injuries were reported on Natural Grass than on FieldTurf.
(19.2% Natural Grass vs 10.2% FieldTurf)

45% Less Time Lost to Injury
Injury Time Loss / 22+ Days - Injuries which resulted in a time loss of 22 days or more were reported more frequently on Natural Grass than on FieldTurf.
(13.6% Natural Grass vs. 7.5% FieldTurf)

38% Fewer 3rd Degree Injuries
Injury Grade - More 3rd degree injuries were reported on Natural Grass than on FieldTurf.
(12.8% Natural Grass vs 7.9% FieldTurf)

35% Less Time Lost to Injury
Injury Time Loss / 1 - 2 Days - A significantly greater percentage of injuries resulting in a 1-2 day time loss were reported on Natural Grass vs FieldTurf.
(28.0% Natural Grass vs 18.4% FieldTurf)