The move to an indoor stadium may mean that the brains of Minnesota Viking players are less likely to be injured, according to a new study that examined the role weather and temperature plays in concussion risk in football players.
Research out of Canada suggests that external factors like weather and temperature play a significant role in the expression of concussions during football games. For their study, researchers at St. Michael’s hospital in Toronto examined the five most common football injuries and tracked their incidence rate based on temperature. The five most common football injuries were:
1. Knee Injuries
2. Ankle Injuries
3. Hamstring Injuries
4. Shoulder Injuries
5. Concussions
They looked at the reported injury rate only involving games with a temperature below 50 degrees Fahrenheit or above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Researchers examined data from two regular seasons between 2012 and 2014.
Temperature and Injury Risk in Football
After looking at the injury data, researchers uncovered that players had a two-fold greater risk for concussions and a 1.5 times greater risk of ankle injuries in colder games compared to warmer games.
“There is limited research looking at the external risk factors for injuries in the NFL,” lead study author Dr. David Lawrence, a clinical fellow at St. Michael’s Hospital, said in a news release. “Given this is one of the first studies to look at these variables, we can only speculate at this time on the underlying causes for the associations we observed with specific injuries on game days.”
Dr. Lawrence speculated that concussions may be under-reported during hot games because medical personnel may mistake the symptoms for heat-related illnesses, but he also noted that colder temperatures have been shown to decrease equipment elasticity, which can contribute to head injury. He said more research is necessary to better understand the risks of cold temperature games.
“Our findings contribute to the growing body of evidence surrounding this topic, but further research is needed” Lawrence said in a press release. “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.”
So not only will Vikings fans be more comfortable in the stands this December when the Vikings play indoors, but the players may actually be safer because the temperature will be climate controlled.
