Towards better understanding of shoe-turf surface induced soccer injuries

Abstract

There exists an ideal range of traction forces, between the turf and the soccer player's shoe outsole surface, at which the athlete's performance and safety are optimized. Considerable amount of traction is important for swift control of movements on the field; if traction is too low, players will slip more often while if it is too high, players will risk foot fixation related injuries. The primary focus of this study is to investigate the mechanical characteristics of the contact surfaces involved and their contribution towards the prevalence of certain soccer injuries. The static and dynamic friction experienced by the player during heavy athletic activity, is investigated experimentally and a mathematical model is proposed based on a simplified biomechanical analogous. The equation for allowable range of rotational resistance and linear traction is determined based on the model with prior knowledge of the injury mechanism. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.