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It's a
Girl thing
Part ONE ... |
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Over recent years a number of studies
have shown that women are more susceptible to certain sports
injuries when compared to their male counterparts.
A number of reasons have been put forward to account for this. Some
relate to the differences in physiology between men and women
whilst others are associated with anatomical variations.
So what types of injuries are we dealing with? Over recent years
medical studies have focused on stress fractures and on
knee ligament injuries. Lets consider stress fractures (We'll
deal with knee injuries in part 2)
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Philip Newton is a Chartered Physiotherapist, Director of the
Lilleshall Sports Injury Rehab Centre, and provides Physio cover to England
players at major squash events around the world. |
 
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Stress
Fractures
A stress fracture occurs when an area of bone is subjected to more
stress than it can physically withstand. In theory any part of the
body can be affected, but in practice it is usually the bones of the
pelvis, and lower limbs that succumb to stress
fractures in sports people.
The stress involved usually takes the form of repetitive force
e.g. the shin bone or one of the foot bones being subjected to
numerous hard impacts during running based training. This causes
tiny areas of the bone to break down and a small crack (a stress
fracture) then develops. Women may be more at risk of developing
stress fractures than men as they have less muscle mass to
absorb external stress. Some women also have a weaker bone
structure due to hormonal influences and menstrual
irregularities.
For some female athletes, the development of a stress fracture can
be a symptom of a serious underlying syndrome known as the ''female
athlete triad''. This is most commonly encountered in sports
where individual high intensity athletic performance is linked to a
situation where a lean body is a distinct advantage.
In order to attain the “ideal” lean body shape, abnormal eating
patterns may develop (e.g. missing meals, bingeing & purging).
This can cause menstrual disturbances, that can lower
estrogen levels. This hormone imbalance can then lead to a reduction
in bone density thereby increasing the risk of stress fracture.
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Prevention
This should start young. Girls whose bones are exposed to
moderate regular loads have healthier and stronger bones in later
life.
The importance of a well balanced diet is also important for
good bone health. The link between hormone levels and stress
fractures is also borne out by the fact that the use of oral
contraceptives seems to reduce the likelihood of stress fractures
amongst female athletes.
Prevention of stress fractures can also be achieved by following a
sensible training programme i.e. one which does not suddenly
increase loaded exercises quickly over a short period of time.
Additionally the use of well-cushioned footwear and the
avoidance of excessively hard training & playing surfaces can
significantly reduce potential bone stressing forces.
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Treatment
Rest is the cornerstone of treating most stress fractures.
Once excess stress is removed from the affected bone, then the rate
of bone repair exceeds the rate of bone break down & the stress
fracture heals. It is then important to have a gradual increase
in exercise levels so that the affected bone is not over loaded.
A basic guide to the length of time that this ''get back to
sport'' period should take can usually be taken from the amount
of time that it takes for the stress fracture pain to settle.
For example if a period of 6 weeks rest is required for the stress
fracture to repair, then a gradual increase in exercise should take
place over a period of at least 6 weeks before full blown
exercise and sport is resumed.
Philip Newton |
 Also
by Philip:
Ice With Your Bath?
A shock to the System |
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