Turf Vs. Grass - Injuries
One thing that is evident about sports is that no matter what surface is being used, injuries are going to occur. Natural grass and artificial turf both have significant injuries that happen every single year regardless of the sport being played. One commonly asked question is whether or not one surface is more susceptible to injury than the other.
When comparing grip for cutting, obviously one factor is proper footwear for the sport being played. Research has shown that after interviewing a wide variety of players in football, most athletes preferred to play on turf rather than grass. They expressed that they felt a lot faster on turf rather than grass. They also stated that turf allows for their cleats to dig into the rubber infield, allowing them a firm base and being able to plant and turn better than on grass.1. The one negative thing about less slippage on artificial turf is that there seems to be more force applied on the lower limbs, which could cause a greater risk in injury to any football player.2. When a surface such as artificial turf doesn’t give when needed it can cause ankle sprains, knee injuries, and sometimes even a broken bone.Natural grass has more give than turf because of the dirt and soil beneath the grass. Sometimes too much give can cause injuries as well, especially on grass that is wet or muddy.
Both surfaces have their pro’s and con’s when it comes to risk of injuries during a sporting event. One surface really isn’t safer than the other. Some people have their own opinions about which surface may be safer to play on, but the fact is that no matter what surface the sport is played on injuries are always going to occur. The playing surface itself will not reduce injuries, but proper stretching and training of the field will.
1. Clarkson, T. (2006). Greener Grass. American School & University, 78(12), 26-28.
2.GAINS, G. L., SWEDENHJIELM, A. N., MAYHEW, J. L., BIRD, H., & HOUSER, J. J. (2010). COMPARISON OF SPEED AND AGILITY PERFORMANCE OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS ON FIELD TURF AND NATURAL GRASS. Journal Of Strength & Conditioning Research (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins), 24(10), 2613-2617.
This is a very interesting blog to me and I do believe that people should be aware of what type of surface they are playing on and what injuries could come from it if not careful.
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point when you say that injuries are always going to happen, regardless of the type of playing field. I think we can help reduce the recurrence of injuries by ensuring athletes get proper training on their mechanics of jumping, planting, and cutting. Do you think there is a difference between the playing surfaces when it comes to environmental injuries such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke?
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in a small town didn't give me access to being able to play on turfed facilities, but I remember when playing on the grass we always had different tractions due to the earth being warm and soft or hard and cold. Does the turf suffer the same traction differences due to weather changes?
ReplyDeleteCan’t believe you have put it so well that even a newbie like me can understand it. Many many thanks.
ReplyDeleteLawn Grass in Ludhiana
There are several kinds of surface especially design in different formats, but in case of sports ground we are using synthetic, artificial turfs or grass. Therefore the percentage of injuries in sports grounds are differ in different formats; here in this above article we can get some facts about sports injuries in different surface both turf and grass.
ReplyDeleteAcrylic surface