Cold weather apparently puts NFL players at greater risk of head and ankle injuries than other weather conditions, as new research reveals that professional football players were twice as likely to suffer concussions and 1.5 times more likely to suffer ankle injuries when playing in low temperatures.
Researchers from St. Michael's Hospital found that head and ankle injuries were significantly more likely to happen during game days when the temperature was 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) or colder compared to when temperatures were 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit) or warmer.
The latest study, which analyzed data from weekly injury reports from 2012 to 2014 for all 32 teams in the NFL, also found a 1.36 times higher rate of shoulder injuries for football players when games were played on natural grass compared to when they were played on synthetic turf.
"A total of 480 games or 960 team games (TGs) from the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 regular seasons were included in this study. A trend to an increasing risk of concussion and TG ankle injury with decreasing mean game-day temperature was observed," the researchers wrote.
"The risk of TG concussion and TG ankle injury was significantly greater for TGs played at a mean game-day temperature of [equal or less than] 9.7°C (49.5°F) compared with a mean game-day temperature of [equal or greater than] 21.0°C (69.8°F)," they added. "The risk of TG shoulder injury was significantly increased for TGs played on grass surfaces compared with synthetic surfaces. The risk of TG injury was not associated with time in season, altitude, time zone change prior to game, or distance traveled to a game."
The study also revealed that the five most common injuries in NFL players were knee-related, followed by ankle, hamstring, shoulder and concussions.
"There has been a lot of discussion recently about the significant risk of injury in the NFL and general player safety, particularly regarding concussions," said David Lawrence, lead investigator of the study and clinical fellow at St. Michael's Hospital. "The first step in improving player safety and lowering that risk is to identify the factors affecting injury rates. Once we can answer those questions, we can begin to modify player exposure."
"Our findings contribute to the growing body of evidence surrounding this topic, but further research is needed," Lawrence added. "Applying this information may help inform future injury prevention strategies in the NFL, or other professional sports, and highlight the effects of these seemingly small external factors."
The findings were published in the March 31 issue of the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine.
