NFL panel finds some injuries more common on turf

NEW YORK (AP) -An NFL panel has found that certain serious knee and ankle injuries happen more often in games played on the most popular brand of artificial turf than on grass.

The league's Injury and Safety Panel is presenting its study Friday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in New Orleans.

The research looked at NFL games from 2002-08. It found that the rate of anterior cruciate ligament injuries was 88 percent higher in games played on FieldTurf than those on grass.

Panel chairman Dr. Elliott Hershman, a Jets team orthopedist, says more research is needed to determine whether outside factors contribute to the discrepancy, such as the type of shoe players wear on artificial turf.