The falls and slide tackles of athletes are part of the regular game activities. If the surface is not in ideal conditions the fear of falling prevents players best performance. On synthetic turf we observe a different game because the ball bounce too fast and players loose easily ball control and tend to pass the ball instead of dribbling. Most of the players feel spine pain when they play on synthetic turf as a result of the return of the mechanical energy to the foot pressure because the surface is hard. Powergrass hybrid grass provides a soft surface with natural chock absorption, natural ball bounce and great traction to reduce the risks of falls.
surface stability and traction is imperative to support the player
Athletes put less strain on their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while making a cut on a natural grass surface while wearing a cleat. This is the conclusion from a study that tested the strain placed on the ACL of four different shoe-surface interactions: Astroturf/turf shoe, modern playing turf/turf shoe, modern turf/cleat, and natural grass/cleat. Source ScienceDaily
During the change of direction of the player, the cleat of the shoe exerts a rotation force to the grass. In the event of excessive force, the natural grass give away meanwhile artificial grass tends to block the cleat and cause ankle sprain (+32% on synthetic grass), sometimes to the knee and, more often, injuries to the ligaments (+88% on synthetic grass). The natural grass works as the safety pin to protect the motor of an engine. Source www.NFL.com
Ankle sprain often occurs also in natural grass whereas grass roots are not strong enough and the grass sod gives away on foot pressure. Powergrass hybrid grass thanks to its special formulation is able to significantly increase the safety of the players! Athletes put less strain on their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while making a cut on a natural grass surface while wearing a cleat and the surface provides greater stability to sustain the player action.
On synthetic turf we often observe abrasions on the skin, over the falls. A study in the U.S. showed that the abrasions on synthetic grass significantly increase above 30°C on the surface. Another study showed that the synthetic turf is warmer than even asphalt and exceeds 70°C while the limit for safety has been set at maximum 49°C. Source www.aces.nmsu.edu.
The biggest danger is often hidden is the accumulation of excessive heat on the sports flooring that causes premature fatigue and risk of heat exhaustion and of course to abrasions on the skin in case of falls.
Heat exhaustion is the most common heat-related condition observed in active populations ranging from athletes to recreational hikers. It is defined as the inability to continue exercise in the heat due to cardiovascular insufficiency (not enough blood pumped to the heart) and energy depletion that may or may also not be associated with physical collapse. Cardiovascular insufficiency refers to when the heart has difficulty providing enough oxygenated blood to all the working organs and muscles and is exacerbated by dehydration via extreme sweating without replacing fluids during exercise. Heat exhaustion is one of the most common medical conditions reported to park rangers at the Grand Canyon and other recreational hiking areas.
It is important to note that heat illnesses are not on a continuum and that one condition does not lead to another condition, although having heat exhaustion one day can predispose an individual to heat illness the next day. A common misconception is that heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke. This cannot happen because once the individual collapses from heat exhaustion they stop exercising in the heat, making exertional heat stroke impossible. The body stops producing metabolic heat due to muscle contraction because exercise has ended, inhibiting exertional heat stroke. Source University of Connecticut
Natural grass is Powergrass hybrid system is exceeding 97% the surface coverage when the grass reaches the desired density. The system provides an isolation effect to the roots below the backing and the water evaporation is reduced thus the plants can take more heat stress and the cooling effect of the grass is much higher compared even to straight natural grass.