Synthetic fields: are they adding to concussion risk?

By Kira Kunzman. This article was initially published in our Concussion Update newsletter; please consider subscribing.

Ian K. Chun et al. explored the effect of synthetic turf on the risk of concussion; the findings, discussed in New Scientist, were presented a the 2022 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference. Chun (a 3rd-year medical student at the University of Hawaii) et al. found that turf fields result in impact deceleration “as much as 23 g higher on artificial grass compared to natural surfaces.” The higher g forces may translate “to a theoretical increased risk of concussion due to contact with playing surfaces,” according to Chun.

Turf fields are increasingly popular due to their low maintenance requirements; previous research on turf field injuries has mainly focused on lower body injuries. Further study on playing surfaces’ concussion risk factors is warranted, according to Kristen Dams-O’Connor, PhD. “We’re at this very interesting crossroads now where evidence has accumulated that even in the absence of a concussion, there is risk to brain health in contact sports.”

Chun et al. used a mannequin equipped with sensors on the forehead, right ear, and top of its head to measure the impact of falls on the two field surfaces. The mannequin, wearing a football helmet, was dropped from “around 2 feet more than 17,000 times” on “its front, back, and left side” in different locations on each field. This study found that on the turf field, “all accelerometers showed significantly greater impact on the forward and backward falls” and “the sensor at the top of the mannequin’s head showed a significantly greater impact deceleration” for side falls. 

Chun attributed the synthetic surface’s hardness to the higher impact rates. However, although these results point to the issue that artificial fields pose on concussions, this study did not use human subjects. Therefore, future studies are needed to measure concussion rates in children who play on turf fields compared to grass fields.