By Bryn Lee
There has been much discussion on research reports into artificial grass and sports injuries. The article from Omega Underground makes interesting reading, focusing on knee damage. It addresses the potential link between artificial turf and ACL injuries, explaining that the extra grip afforded by a dry, dense surface may add risk.
This is borne out by the experience of my son, who tore his ACL playing Touch Football for England, a few years ago, in the Touch World Cup. His foot “stuck” in the grass, whilst his knee twisted and his ACL tore. However, this was on natural turf, in very hot and dry conditions. This backs up the theory that when there is too much grip – on natural or artificial turf, injuries can happen.
The article indicates there is much less chance of injury where the grip is low, especially when a surface is wet. Interestingly, artificial pitches, tested to FIFA Quality or Quality Pro standards, have to pass a test that looks at this specific point. The Rotational Resistance test measures grip, where, for example, a very fibre dense surface would not pass as easily as a less dense one. The more open fibre allows a football boot to easily turn.
The article concludes that with sports players getting larger, more conditioned, faster and stronger, there is automatically more strain on a player’s body. This in turn increases the risk of ACL injuries. Yes, a dense, dry surface may not help, but it is only a contributing factor.
For the full omega article click here https://omegaunderground.com/artificial-grass-and-acl-injuries-is-there-a-direct-correlation/
