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Optimizing Health and Athletic Performance for Women
Celina de Borja1, Cindy J Chang2, Rhonda Watkins3
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics, University of California, San Francisco, 1825 4th Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA. celina.deborja@ucsf.edu.
Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine
|January 13, 2022
Summary
Female athletes face higher risks for certain injuries and underutilize strength training. Increasing female physician representation in sports medicine can improve injury prevention and performance for female athletes.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Gender Equity in Healthcare
- Female Athlete Health
Background:
- While women's participation in sports has grown, gender equity in sports medicine, particularly for elite athletes, lags.
- Female athletes experience specific injury risks, including ACL tears, patellofemoral pain, bone stress injuries, concussions, and sexual violence.
- Strength and conditioning are crucial for optimizing performance but are underutilized by female athletes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review injury prevention strategies tailored for female athletes.
- To highlight the benefits of increased female physician representation in sports medicine.
- To discuss optimizing athletic performance in female athletes.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on female athlete-specific physiology, biomechanics, and anatomy.
- Analysis of factors contributing to injury risk and performance optimization.
- Examination of workforce diversity in sports medicine.
Main Results:
- Female athletes are at elevated risk for specific conditions like ACL tears and concussions.
- Tailored injury prevention programs and strength/conditioning are vital but underutilized.
- Underrepresentation of women in sports medicine negatively impacts care; increased representation can enhance it.
Conclusions:
- Understanding unique female athlete factors is essential for effective injury prevention and performance optimization.
- Advocating for gender equity in sports medicine promotes workforce diversity and improves patient care.
- Increasing female physician representation is key to advancing excellence in sports medicine for female athletes.
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