AusPlay data shows that 52% of Australian women and 68% of girls regularly participate in sport which has grown over recent years.
Common injuries among female athletes:
- Ankle sprains & Instability
- Shoulder Instability
- ACL injury (2-8x more likely)
- Patellofemoral pain (2.23x more likely)
- Overuse injuries
Why more likely?
A combination of factors contribute to the higher incidence of injuries among female athletes. And there are more theories than actual answers. The most common explanation is that it’s due to basic differences between the bodies of men and women. Some of the many possible reasons are that the typical female athlete, as compared with her male counterpart, has:
- Higher oestrogen levels
- Less muscle mass and more body fat
- Greater ligament laxity
- Quadriceps to hamstring muscle strength imbalance
- Differences in running, cutting and landing mechanics
- Wider pelvis, altering position of the knee & ankle
- A narrower space for the ACL to travel through
- Greater likelihood of nutritional deficiencies
- Greater anxiety around impact of injury on life, return to sport and loss of physical self-worth
A lot of these areas are those we can better prepare for before injury with planned and considered training. The others are areas we can focus on to create better outcomes in the case of when you have been injured and we are getting you back to your best.
