WOMEN SUFFER MORE SPORTS INJURIES THAN MEN BECAUSE TRAINING PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED FOR MALES. 28th January 2010

There is an interesting article in the United Kingdom's Daily Telegraph newspaper this week about a Report presented in Canada. The Report maintains that sportswomen are injured more than their male counterparts, because "training programs are designed for men."

The Report notes that sportswomen experience "dramatically" higher rates of injury than men because programs designed for "young adult white males" fail to take into account "intrinsic biological differences" between the sexes."

Consequently, she argues that women are more likely to be injured while competing because their bodies are not able to cope with the demands, said Dr Vicki Harber, of Alberta University's Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, who led the study.

Comparing adolescents, she suggested that "Girls suffer higher injury incidence rates compared to boys, particularly in sports such as cross-country running, gymnastics and soccer."

"Injuries to the knee are greater in girls compared to boys and soccer has the highest injury rate, followed by basketball, field hockey, softball and volleyball."

In particular, females have more flexible ligaments and lower muscular strength. As a result, women are two to six times more likely than men to sustain anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, which are mainly caused by rapid deceleration, contact or changes in direction. Women should be taught "sports-specific movement patterns, flexibility and strengthening of muscle groups at multiple joints" to prevent such injuries, she suggested.

She advised: "Many of the injuries women suffer because of this are preventable. Women are not men, just in the same way that children are not small adults. "Training programs are not a 'one size fits all'."