The passage of title IX in 1972 substantially increased the opportunities for girls and women in sports. As their numbers have increased, female athletes have been observed to sustain more knee injuries more frequently than their male counterparts in similar sports. Serious knee injury rates are 5 times greater in females participating in basketball, volleyball, soccer and gymnastics.
What is the reason for this gender inequity?
According to the research these are non-contact deceleration injuries which occur during change of direction, cutting or landing from a jump. The mechanism is multifactorial. There are anatomical factors which we may or may not be able to affect. These include:
- Notch size within the knee joint
- Ligament size
- Pelvic Width
- Hormonal influences
Other factors which we CAN affect include:
- Lower Extremity Malalignments
- Muscle Flexibility differences in females vs males
- Muscle Strength differences in females vs males
- Balance deficits in females
- Sport Technique errors in female athletes
Girls Can JUMP has developed a ONE of a kind assessment tool to determine the likely hood of a female to have an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury while involved in sport. Interested in this screening tool? Contact us.
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