Women more prone to injuries then men?

My roommate and I were very motivated to workout the moment we got to Penn State. The walk to the IM building takes us about five minutes from east, which definitely encouraged us go more because we had no excuse not to. We tried various classes throughout the first two weeks of school and surprisingly we found ourselves going to the gym almost every day.  One day I woke up with a sharp pain in my knee. I found that it hurt the most when I walked down stairs, down hills, and when I generally extended my leg forward. I figured if I took Advil and iced my knee, the pain would eventually go away. After a week, the sharp pain in my knee did not subside and I decided to make my first trip to the Student Medical Health Center. The orthopedic diagnosed me with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome.

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome is a very common cause of knee pain.  “Pain comes from the joint under the kneecap (aka your patella) where it slides up and down over the thighbone. It causes a sharp pain and a rubbing sound in the front of the knee, usually worse after squatting and going up and down hills.” There are many different factors that attribute to getting Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, which include: strength, flexibility, overuse of muscles, incorrect workout techniques, and weight gain. To read more about Patellofemoral Pain Disorder and other knee injuries, click here.

Women were more likely to get Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome. This lead me to question.. are women more likely to get knee injuries then men are? The answer is yes.  There are numerous factors that contribute to women being more prone to knee injuries then men, here are some: women have smaller and weaker muscles supporting their knees, more lax ligaments, wider pelvises, inward angled thigh bones from hip to knee, greater imbalance between quadriceps and hamstring muscles, and biomechanical differences. Women are also more likely to get injuries because their menstrual cycles affect ligaments, connective tissue and neuromuscular control, due to their fluctuating hormone levels. Women are competing in sports with extreme high intensity and their bodies cannot keep up with it. There are always new records that continue to be made and beaten. With the constant competitiveness of always trying to be the best, more injuries are going to occur because women’s bodies cannot handle the stress that sports puts on them.

knee-pain-meniscus-tear-940x440

 

http://www.personal.psu.edu/afr3/blogs/siowfa13/2013/09/why-are-women-more-prone-to-acl-injuries-than-men-techniques-for-prevention.html

http://www.healthcommunities.com/knee-pain/women-sports-injuries.shtml

http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/health

4 thoughts on “Women more prone to injuries then men?

  1. ram5928 Post author

    I can relate because I also tore my meniscus and I had to get surgery to repair it. I have had numerous friends and teammates who have had to go through the same thing. It is unfair that women are more prone to getting injuries to men, but if more women are aware of their risks, maybe more injuries can be avoided. This could be through more stretching, more strength building, and more caution towards using proper techniques in working out and on the field/court/track.

  2. Mary-frances Grosholz Edwards

    I think it’s really important that you decided to write about this topic because it’s definitely something that women have to be conscious about. I know that when I used to run track and I had the constantly pounding on my legs while running I would experience a lot of knee discomfort to the point that I would have to cross-train or just simply sit out a couple of days. Not only this but I have known many of my friends (girls) who have had multiple knee injuries that seem to just keep happening. At an early age when I was just beginning to play soccer I remember a family friend telling me that females are overall more susceptible to injuries such as a tear in the ACL and things of that nature so I’ve been cautious of that ever since. I really liked the examples that you gave and how you pulled in your own experience.

  3. jvh5620

    I really agree that women are more prone to injuries than men. When i was in high school, i was on a lacrosse team most of my life. In ninth grade i tore my meniscus and from then on i always had knee problems. My doctor always told me teenage girls were much more prone to injuries then men. Girls bones are just not as strong i believe. To this day I still have knee problems.

  4. Megan D Erickson

    This is very interesting . I too am a female and have issues with my knees in the past, especially when i was on the track team in high school. I have also dealt with hip issues and ankle issues. Do you know if its just knee injuries that woman are more prone to or could there be more types of injuries that woman are capable or getting easily?

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