Influence of Cleats-Surface Interaction on the Performance and Risk of Injury in Soccer: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective To review the influence of cleats-surface interaction on the performance and risk of injury in soccer athletes. Design Systematic review. Data Sources Scopus, Web of science, PubMed, and B-on. Eligibility Criteria Full experimental and original papers, written in English that studied the influence of soccer cleats on sports performance and injury risk in artificial or natural grass. Results Twenty-three articles were included in this review: nine related to performance and fourteen to injury risk. On artificial grass, the soft ground model on dry and wet conditions and the turf model in wet conditions are related to worse performance. Compared to rounded studs, bladed ones improve performance during changes of directions in both natural and synthetic grass. Cleat models presenting better traction on the stance leg improve ball velocity while those presenting a homogeneous pressure across the foot promote better kicking accuracy. Bladed studs can be considered less secure by increasing plantar pressure on lateral border. The turf model decrease peak plantar pressure compared to other studded models. Conclusion The soft ground model provides lower performance especially on artificial grass, while the turf model provides a high protective effect in both fields.

Does the cleat model interfere with ankle sprain risk factors in artificial grass?

“…The fact that most individuals with a LAS episode will sustain at least one additional sprain, with many developing CAI (Gribble et al, 2016), and that this condition increase the risk of LAS, corroborates the need of studying athletes with CAI also (Silva et al, 2017a). On the other hand, extrinsic factors such as cleatsurface interaction have been studied (Silva et al, 2017b), highlighting the need of identifying an easily modifiable risk factor that help players to reduce different injuries risk. A systematic review demonstrated that different cleat models have been evaluated in terms of risk of injury in cases of calcaneal apophysitis, repeated impact injuries, and knee and ankle injuries related to increased joint loading (Silva et al, 2017b).…”

“…On the other hand, extrinsic factors such as cleatsurface interaction have been studied (Silva et al, 2017b), highlighting the need of identifying an easily modifiable risk factor that help players to reduce different injuries risk. A systematic review demonstrated that different cleat models have been evaluated in terms of risk of injury in cases of calcaneal apophysitis, repeated impact injuries, and knee and ankle injuries related to increased joint loading (Silva et al, 2017b). However, only recently it has been demonstrated that in healthy athletes different cleat models aren't related to differences in ankle sprain risk factors (Silva et al, 2017a).…”

Different Cleat Models do Not Influence Side Hop Test Performance of Soccer Players with and without Chronic Ankle Instability

“…This evolution highlights the study of cleat-surface interaction involving artificial turf grounds. A recent systematic review indicates that this interaction has a significant impact on the performance of several sports gestures (straight-line sprints and slalom, kicking and passing a ball) in healthy athletes (Silva et al, 2017b). However, according to our knowledge, no study has assessed the cleatsurface interaction in athletes with one of the most frequent postural control disorder -chronic ankle instability.…”

“…Seeing the performance as one of the major athletes' concern (Hennig, 2011), it becomes relevant to study the factors that can influence this variable, not only in athletes without a history of ankle injury, but also in athletes suffering from CAI. The cleat-surface interaction has been the subject of several studies (Muller et al, 2010;Silva et al, 2017a;Sterzing et al, 2009;Sterzing et al, 2010), however, according to a recent systematic review (Silva et al, 2017b) this interaction was not evaluated in tasks closed to the ankle sprain injury mechanism such as jumps with changes of direction. Among the various features of the cleats, the sole importance has been highlighted and would have a significant impact on this task.…”

“…The sole should provide enough traction to prevent slipping and to facilitate braking and changes of direction (Conenello, 2010). The diversity of cleats currently used on artificial grounds (Turf (TF), Artificial Grass (AG), Hard Ground (HG) e Firm Ground (FG)) (Hennig, 2011), emphasizes the need to identify which model provides better performance, since only the first two models are indicated by manufacturers as specific to this ground (Conenello, 2010;Silva et al, 2017b;Sterzing et al, 2009).…”