Differences in injury rates
Although the research is still in its early stages, what is clear is that male and female athletes have different rates and types of injuries.
“Injuries are often different,” said Candice Mason, an orthopedic surgeon at Baylor College of Medicine, who notes that while female athletes are much more likely to tear their anterior cruciate ligament, they are less likely to tear it in a contact injury. , they are more likely to tear the ACL in the supporting leg than in the lead leg. Female athletes who tear their ACL are approximately 25 percent less likely to return to play than male athletes.
The reasons for these differences in sports injuries are still largely unknown. Experts speculate that this is a complex combination of anatomical, biological, and hormonal factors.
“We know there are anatomical, biomechanical, and hormonal differences between men and women,” says Molly McDermott, an internist and sports medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. These include differences in total muscle mass and body fat percentage, as well as biomechanical differences in bone and ligament structure (such as “knock knees” and hypermobility), which cause women to develop certain types of become more susceptible to injury.
Risk of injury changes depending on menstrual cycle
Levels of hormones such as estrogen appear to influence the incidence of injury in female athletes, with an increased risk of injury at certain points in the menstrual cycle, as several studies have shown.
