Sports injuries in the female athlete

Women are successfully participating in a variety of sports in increasing numbers, both recreationally and competitively. There are certain anatomic and physiologic differences between men and women that make each sex unique, but there also are multiple external factors that significantly influence athletic performance. The nature of injuries seems to be more sports-specific than gender-specific. Even the increased susceptibility to overuse syndromes found in women may be reduced by increasing awareness and redefining conditioning and coaching techniques. Further epidemiologic studies of women's athletic injuries will be needed to better define injury patterns and to suggest preventive measures.