How to prevent athletic injury with sports flooring?
Whether you’re rooting for the pros or your kid out on the basketball court, you don’t want to see your favorite player get hurt. While you may be primarily concerned with the rough and tumble nature of the game, one essential factor in the athletes’ safety is what’s under their feet: sports flooring. That’s why facility owners know to invest in quality EPDM flooring.
The flooring quality can significantly impact injury rates — this was also concluded by the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine (AAPSM). They wrote: “Different playing surfaces can also affect injuries. Outdoor EPDM floor courts offer the most shock absorption and are considered the safest courts, while outdoor asphalt courts are more dangerous.”
How Does EPDM Flooring Prevent Injury?
While it’s true that flooring cannot prevent ALL injury from occurring, it can certainly reduce the likelihood. Some injuries that appear on the court, like landing wrong from a jump, accidentally falling, or running into another player, can happen regardless of the type of flooring in place.
But even though an accidental fall can occur on any surface, quality EPDM flooring has a better grip, giving athletes better traction and making those falls less likely to occur. Different flooring has different friction levels, so you’ll need to choose according to what sports are played at your facility. Ideally, your flooring will allow easy and safe movement in all directions.
Great For All Ages
Other injuries that occur under the radar from chronic use are where flooring can make a massive difference in the long term. Why? Because synthetic flooring is much easier on the joints. Basketball players are constantly running, pivoting and jumping for hours each day as they train and play games. This puts a constant strain on joints and ligaments in the feet, knees, and ankles. Quality synthetic flooring will have an immediate and noticeable impact on older players and protect the younger players who are still developing.
To ensure you’re choosing the best flooring for the athletes who will train and play in your facility, let’s contact us, who can guide you through the best options according to use case and price.