Ground condition as a risk factor in sports injury aetiology studies: the level of concordance between objective and subjective measures.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: It is well known that the condition and type of sporting ground influences the risk of sports injury. However, the lack of evidence on the relationship between subjective and objective sporting ground condition assessments in sports injury aetiology studies has implications for the development of effective injury prevention strategies. This paper aims to examine concordance between subjectively rated and objective ground hardness and moisture measurements to inform data collection methods for future sports injury aetiology studies. METHODS: Subjective, observational assessments of ground hardness and soil moisture were recorded on 36 occasions during an Australian football season..