The Female Athletes Epidemic

In 98 the American Journal of Sports Medicine featured an article titled "The Organization Between the Period and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Female Athletes. inch This article confirmed the suspicion that many mentors already had, which is that hormonal, as well as anatomical, predispositions were to blame for the seeming epidemic of women athlete ACL tears. I possess come to the conclusion that you have three major reasons that ladies are more than four times more likely then men to split their ACL's playing sports activities. (1

In order to make hypotheses about ladies increased susceptibility to ACL tears, one must first understand the basic body structure of the knee, and the purpose of the ACL. First, the knees is a joint composed of four bones; the femur, the tibia, the fibula and the patella. The knee joint is padded by sections of cartilage (menisci) on both the medial and lateral aspect. The ACL any of Best Sexiest Female Athletes  four major ligaments in charge of stability in the knees. The ACL originates in the notch of the distal portion of the femur, and inserts into the tibia. Because of origins and insertion, its main purpose is to safeguard the knee from too much anterior translation of the tibia.

The first percentage of the hypothesis we will discuss is the de las hormonas reason behind women's increased susceptibility to ACL tears. Doctor. Kurt Spindle, an orthopedic surgeon in Nashville, has done some of the most relevant research on this percentage of the female athlete's epidemic. In his study, he learned that women were three times more likely to tear the ACL when they were on their period. He explains this by stating that during a female's period the hormones luteinizing and follicle stimulating hormone are allowed to your bloodstream stream and these hormones comes into contact with the ACL's recently learned active hormone receptors. It is believed that this increase in hormonal levels can in fact temporarily alter the structure of the ligament, therefore leaving the ACL more prone to tearing. Dr. Spindle also cited that women who had been taking oral contraceptives were less likely to tear their ACL's. The main reason for this is the fact that oral contraceptives skyrocket progesterone and estrogen levels, triggering luteinizing and follicle stimulating hormones to not be released.

The second reason female athletes are at least four times as likely to split their ACL is as a result of difference in the anatomy of the hip. The word "Q-Angle" is defined as "a measurement of the angle involving the Quadriceps (Rectus Femoris is usually used) and the patella tendons (3). " Q-Angles in women are generally at the very least five degrees larger than that in men, which causes an increased tension on almost all of the ligaments of the hip and knee. The hip structure most women have is great for giving birth, but not so excellent for playing sports activities that want lots of multidirectional movement.

The third reason for female ACL holes is an anatomical proneness as well. The intercondyler notch is a portion of the knee, between the condyles, that the ACL glides through during extension and flexion of the knee. There are two rounded portions one on each side of the notch that are called condyles. These condyles provide a huge source of stabilization for the knee. Consider of the condyles as your knuckles when you put two fists (femur and tibia) together. One of the condyles main purposes is to give the ACL additional support in avoiding to much anterior movement of the tibia. Women have smaller condyles (less leg stability) as well as a smaller intercondyler notch. The fact that women typically have smaller condyles is a distinct mechanised disadvantage that leaves women with less knee stability in general. In addition , the smaller intercondyler notch, women have, can lead to the ACL being pinched or torn inside the joint. So there are a host of anatomical distinctions in the knees joint of women that drop them off more susceptible to ACL tears.

So, elaborate a girl to do? Should girls with large hips avoid playing sports activities requiring multi directional movement? Should girls sit away from playing sports if they are on their period? Should collegiate athletic programs require their female athletes to land on oral contraceptives to lower their chances of season or career-ending ACL tears? There are evident legal and moral issues involved with asking woman athletes to take oral birth control pills but it's an option I might not be surprised to see this option explored. However, my answer to this question is a resounding NO. A new study done by the Us Journal of Sports Treatments declared the women who undertake lower extremities injury reduction workouts are sixty-two % less likely to suffer traumatic knee injuries (5). This tells us that corrective/preventative exercises are definitely the way to go.