Natural Grass or Artificial: One Is Worse for Football Concussions

• August 14, 2024
• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

Natural grass playing fields pose a greater concussion risk for young football players than artificial turf, a new study shows.

Athletes who sustained a concussion on grass reported more than 10 symptoms, on average, compared with about six for those injured on artificial turf, researchers found.

Players on natural grass fields also had an average concussion symptom severity score of more than 26, compared with under 12 for those injured on artificial turf.

“Many natural grass fields, especially at the youth level, may not be well maintained and can be harder and less forgiving than modern artificial turf, which has evolved significantly from the old, hard fields of the past,” said lead researcher C. Munro Cullum, a professor of psychiatry, neurological surgery and neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

For the study, researchers analyzed data on 62 middle school, high school and college players, ages 10 to 24.

All of the players sustained a helmet-to-ground concussion during practice or play, and then went to a specialty concussion clinic within 14 days of their injury.

Of the players, 33 were injured on natural grass and 29 on artificial turf, researchers said.

Seven major symptoms were more likely to occur following a concussion on grass, researchers found. They included:

• Dizziness

• Blurred vision

• Sensitivity to noise

• Feeling in a fog

• Difficulty remembering

• Fatigue or low energy

• Confusion

The findings were published recently in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine.

“Several studies have shown lower rates of football-related concussion on artificial turf versus grass, but our study also suggests that concussions on natural surfaces are more likely to be worse and may require longer recovery times,” Cullum said in a university news release. “Clinicians should be aware of these differences and consider playing surface as a factor in concussion evaluations."

However, more study is needed to figure out why a playing surface might influence concussion severity, the researchers added.

“Having more data about the role field surface plays in concussion severity would be a valuable addition to our clinical knowledge,” Cullum noted.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on concussion in youth sports.

SOURCE: UT Southwestern, news release, Aug. 12, 2024

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