Letter: Pre-season examination.

teams (Joint Commission, etc ) and the study of three years of injuries at the professional football level (Stanford Research Institute/ National Football League), all show a higher frequency of injury on Astro Turf than on grass The likelihood of playing on Astro Turf resulting in a higher frequency of injury by chance alone is less than I in 32 (P = 0.03) With this kind of evidence from multiple, independent sources, it is difficult to ignore the potential safety implications. JAMES G. GARRICK, MD Associate Professor of Orthopaedics Head, Division of Sports Medicine University of Washington School of Medicine Seattle, Washington