Common Injuries for Female Athletes and How Sports Medicine Can Help

There’s no denying the gender gap in sports injuries—it’s just unfortunate that we don’t see female athletes in a lot of mainstream sports, which is why it’s easy to assume that men are more vulnerable. However, women may be more prone to injuries due to a variety of factors, including higher estrogen, looser ligaments, and more hip abduction.

Some of the most common sports injuries affecting females—often disproportionately—include the following:

ACL Strains and Tears

ACL injuries can be incredibly debilitating, causing kneecap pain, immobility, and other issues. These tears and dislocated kneecaps are common in women due to loose ligaments and hypermobility and happen with a range of movements such as running, jumping, and twisting.

Most cases can improve with rest and recovery, but for more severe ACL injuries, a sports medicine physician or surgeon in Texas can help, using surgical interventions or by working with you on strengthening, stabilization, and prevention.

Stress and Repetitive Motion Fractures

Most often the result of repetitive motions or switching direction too quickly, which causes tiny cracks in the bone, stress fractures are incredibly common sports injuries in female athletes. Many female athletes suffer from these debilitating fractures due to poor bone health, muscle imbalances, etc., and require effective intervention and management by a physician who can advise them on everything from stabilization to nutrition.

Joint Pain and Injuries from Hypermobility

Ankle sprains, shin splints, and strains are some of the many forms of joint injuries and accidents that impact women. These sports injuries are common in female athletes because women tend to have greater hypermobility and flexion and their joints are generally looser. A sports medicine physician in Texas will be able to evaluate their degree of hypermobility and make adequate recommendations, while also helping them manage other strains, sprains, and musculoskeletal conditions.

Sports injuries can impact professional female athletes and amateurs alike, complicating recovery and impacting their performance. If you’re a female athlete struggling with sports injuries or concerns, you can find an orthopedic sports medicine physician at TOPS Surgical Specialty Hospital in Houston who can help.

As one of the leading sports medicine providers in Texas, we offer a wide range of services, including preventive care. Visit our website, and on the sports medicine services page, scroll down to find the right physician near you and click thelink to their website to make an appointment.