Women’s sports gains come with pains

With the explosion of women’s sports in recent years, there’s also been a wave of injuries to female athletes. Research now tells us women are much more likely to suffer certain injuries than men in the same sport. But experts in sports medicine have developed exercise and training programs to help prevent those injuries.

Several studies involving thousands of injuries to high school and college athletes have shown that women are up to six or seven times more likely to be hit with specific knee injuries, like a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). One study mentioned in a New York Times article said girls were three times more likely than boys to suffer a concussion playing basketball.

Medical experts say there are a number of reasons for the huge gender gap in risk of sports injuries. There are differences in bone structure between men and women, also differences in strength of muscles that protect some joints. A Michigan State study suggests that female athletes in college have lower bone density than their male counterparts. And, of course, there are differences in hormones.

Physical therapist Lew Groves, at St. Joseph’s Outpatient Rehab in Phoenix, says the majority of lower extremity injuries for women happen in basketball, softball and soccer. Tom Ellsworth, at Next Level Physical Therapy in Tempe, adds volleyball to that list, too. But Groves notes there are relatively few injuries to women in gymnastics.

Groves: why fewer gymnastics injuries

But sports medicine also has developed exercises and training that can help female athletes prevent injuries by strengthening certain muscles and adapting their movement techniques.

Groves and Ellsworth on preventing injuries

Mike Palmer, an adjunct instructor in exercise science at Estrella Mountain Community College, says a group of sports medicine experts developed an injury prevention warm-up called the PEP program. It was designed to improve strength and coordination in the muscles that help stabilize the knee.

Besides the pain and loss of playing time, sports injuries are costly. Palmer says ACL knee injuries affect about 100,000 Americans every year, with an estimated total cost of $1 billion in medical expenses.

Bert Sass
Special Projects Producer