Care of the Active Female

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Women's Health
• Exercise Physiology

Background:

• Physical activity provides significant health benefits, including chronic disease management, weight control, and enhanced mental well-being.
• Active women and girls face risks such as relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S), characterized by low energy availability, menstrual dysfunction, and bone metabolism issues.
• Common injuries in active females include overuse injuries (e.g., patellofemoral pain, stress fractures) and acute injuries (e.g., concussions, ACL tears).

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the health benefits and risks associated with physical activity in women across different life stages.
• To highlight the importance of energy availability and injury prevention strategies for active females.
• To discuss the role and safety of exercise during pregnancy, postpartum, and in older women for fall prevention.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on physical activity, sports injuries, and women's health.
• Analysis of the physiological impacts of exercise on female athletes, including RED-S.
• Examination of exercise recommendations for pregnant, postpartum, and older women.

Main Results:

• Physical activity is crucial for overall health but carries risks like RED-S and various injuries in active women.
• Amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea can indicate reduced energy availability in athletes.
• Exercise during pregnancy reduces risks of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and C-section; postpartum exercise aids recovery; and strength/balance programs decrease falls in older women.

Conclusions:

• Maintaining appropriate energy availability and implementing injury prevention are key for active women.
• Exercise is generally safe and highly recommended throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period.
• Supervised exercise programs focusing on strength and balance are effective in reducing fall-related injuries in older women.