FieldTurf Proved Safer Than Natural Grass

Montreal, Canada, February 25, 2012 --(PR.com)-- A Study from Dr. Michael C. Meyers of the Department of Health and Human Development at Montana State University has confirmed that FieldTurf is safer than natural grass sports surfaces. The data was accumulated from a 5-year span comparing injury percentages on each surface, the severity of these injuries, how they were occurring and to whom. The results favor the FieldTurf playing surface and deem FieldTurf to be of better quality vs. natural grass.

“In the past, serious injuries were attributed to playing on artificial turf,” said Dr. Meyers. “New generations of artificial turf were developed to duplicate the playing characteristics of natural grass. Only one study has been published comparing game-related, college football trauma between the two playing surfaces. My findings indicated that FieldTurf is in fact safer, in many cases, to natural grass.”

The research evaluated 786 college football games for football injuries sustained while playing on FieldTurf or natural grass. With approximately 50% of these games being played on each surface, a total of 4,041 injuries were documented – 1,164 of the injuries on FieldTurf vs. 2,377 on natural grass. The study also indicated that less injury-related trauma occurs on Fieldturf when comparing injury time loss, injury category, and other variable situations.

Key Summary Points on the Advantages of FieldTurf:
v 15% Fewer Substantial Injuries
v 20% Fewer Severe Injuries
v 11% Fewer Concussions
v 24% Lower Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Trauma
v 10% Lower ACL and Associated Injuries Combined
v 6% Fewer AC/Shoulder Separations
v 37% Fewer Rotator Cuff Tears
v 35% Lower Incidence of Shoulder Lesions
v 15% Less Injury from Cleat: Surface Interaction During Physical Contact
v 25% Fewer Ligament Tears
v 39% Fewer Muscle Tears
v 21% Lower Incidence of 2nd Degree Trauma
v 15% Lower Incidence of 3rd Degree Trauma
v 32% Less Injury During Inclement Weather
v 28% Fewer Injuries Under Hot Weather Conditions
v 10% Fewer Injuries Requiring Medical Imaging Procedures

Additional Benefits with FieldTurf:
v 12% Fewer Player-to-Turf Collision Injuries
v 13% Fewer Muscle-Tendon Overload Injuries
v 15% Fewer Ligament Sprains
v 14% Less Joint Trauma
v 10% Less Neural Trauma
v 9% Fewer Injuries Requiring Surgery
v 22% Fewer Shoulder Injuries
v 13% Fewer Knee Injuries
v 15% Fewer Ankle Injuries
v 26% Fewer High Ankle Sprains

With regards to these findings, less injury-related occurrences imply more reputable athletic programs. Players perform at a higher level, are at less of a risk at getting hurt, and improve their fortunes for a bright future. FieldTurf’s lower surgery rate indirectly leads to saving costs due to the reduction in health claims and medical bills that are not always covered by health care. With the players on the field vs. in the training room, teams finish higher in the standings and schools get noticed for their superiority. Having a safer playing surface pays dividends for itself, and these dividends are proven to be attained playing on FieldTurf.

More than 60 top NCAA universities currently play their home games on FieldTurf including Nebraska, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, West Virginia, Washington, Oregon, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas State, Boston College, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas Tech, Rutgers, Syracuse, Cincinnati and Louisville. Twenty-one of the NFL's 32 teams presently utilize FieldTurf in their stadiums and/or practice facilities.

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