Women's Sports Are Booming. Women's Sports Medicine Must Catch Up | Opinion
More investment is needed to improve outcomes for women and girls as more eyes turn to women's sports.
Primary care sports medicine doctor Ashley Austin has witnessed numerous sports injuries throughout her career, especially those sustained by women athletes. Despite the surge in women's sports popularity, sports medicine has yet to keep pace in treating women effectively. This stems from decades of underrepresentation of women in medical research, with women rarely included in trials before the 1990s. Consequently, male bodies were considered the norm, leading to a generalized approach in treating women athletes.
Women's anatomy and physiology differ significantly from men's, affecting their response to physical activity and increasing their susceptibility to injuries, particularly in sports like basketball. Women tear their anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs) at a much higher rate than men due to anatomical differences, such as wider hips and altered biomechanical loading during movements like landing and pivoting.
Hormonal changes also play a role, with certain hormones affecting ligament integrity and laxity, making ACL injuries more prevalent in women.
Additionally, women rely more on their quad muscles during landing, placing greater stress on the knee and increasing strain on the ACL. Hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy and aging, particularly during menopause, can further impact movement, muscle mass, and bone density, leading to increased risks of various musculoskeletal injuries.
Despite these disparities, only about 6 percent of sports research focuses on women, primarily younger female athletes. This lack of evidence-specific to women's anatomy and physiology hinders injury prevention and long-term care for women athletes.
As women's sports gain unprecedented popularity, driven by media coverage and the emergence of role models like Caitlin Clark and Diana Taurasi, it is crucial to capitalize on this momentum to push for more research and funding in women's sports medicine. This research should inform doctors on how to optimize and protect women's health throughout their athletic careers and beyond.
Ultimately, investing in women's sports science will benefit elite female athletes and ensure that doctors nationwide possess the necessary tools to maintain women's health across all life stages.
Written by urgent.news from Newsweek's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
