![]() Patterson went on to play in the women's Australian Football League (Aussie Rules) before becoming a physio and coach while studying for a PhD at the Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre at LaTrobe University, Melbourne. Some medical professionals and researchers now suggest rest, strength and conditioning, and allowing the muscle to heal may be equally effective in some cases. She was eventually operated on, but now wonders whether it was even required. She had to wait several months for surgery in her native Australia as her health insurance didn't cover the operation, a situation doubtless echoed around the world. playing football) at a young age that less visible pathways to professional sports mean that strength and conditioning training is perceived as less useful for young women that women are offered surgery to resolve the issue less readily than men and the fact that puberty is a danger point for girls injuring their ACLs, which stops many from carrying on with the sport.īrooke Patterson among those who sustained an ACL injury at a young age, while playing basketball. So if we have an environment that doesn't really support strength training, which is highly relevant and needed for injury prevention, then we've created increased risk to athletes rather than it being an inherent risk." ACL stops sport for someĪmong other potential reasons for the different rates of injury are: the way in which girls and boys are encouraged to move by their parents or coaches (for example dancing vs. It's a highly gendered environment where girls and women often don't feel welcomed or supported. There's been a fair bit of research done on girls and women in the weight room. "I always default back to a weight-room analogy. ![]() "So rather than look at the inherent risk, we need to look at what kind of acquired risk they are getting. What kinds of environments and exposures are they experiencing that may make them higher risk? "We need to think beyond the biological," she said. Parsons believes a crucial piece of the puzzle has been ignored. Parsons says scientists were once puzzled by the fact that annual ACL injury rates in the general population have decreased for males and stayed the same for females in recent years. Genetic factors and injury history are also highly relevant, but so are societal factors. ![]() However, they are far from the only reason for the disparity. She told DW that biological factors, including hormones (particularly in puberty when ACL injuries in girls often occur), along with other biological and anatomical differences between the sexes (knee, thigh and hip shapes) undoubtedly play a part. One of the authors of the aforementioned study was Joanne Parsons, an associate professor at the physical therapy department at the College of Rehabilitation Sciences of the University of Manitoba in Canada. ![]() Germany midfielder Sara Däbritz, who suffered the injury in 2019, says it is "important to invest even more in research, because the female body is different from the male body." It was reported on Wednesday that Putellas' Barcelona teammate Lucy Bronze has undergone keyhole surgery on her right knee, although whether the operation was conducted with the potential for an ACL injury in mind is unclear.Īfter all, with female footballers "three to six times" more at risk of suffering such an injury than their male counterparts, according to a July 2021 study, the attraction of preemptive measures is understandable.īut why are women more susceptible to ACL injuries than men? Beth Mead, the standout player of Euro 2022, may miss the World Cup Image: Daniela Torres/ZUMA/picture alliance The ACL gender gap The 26-year-old defender is the latest unfortunate addition to a growing list of top names who have suffered similar injuries recently, including her Arsenal teammates Beth Mead – voted player of the tournament at Euro 2022 – and Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema, the all-time WSL top-scorer.īayern Munich and Germany star Guilia Gwinn is also in a race against time to be fit for the World Cup after tearing her ACL in October while Spain star Alexia Putellas has only just returned to full training with Barcelona after missing Euro 2022 with an ACL injury, along with France's Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Northern Ireland forward Simone Magill. Last Friday, it was confirmed that England captain Leah Williamson will miss the tournament in Australia and New Zealand after rupturing her ACL during her club side Arsenal's 1-0 defeat to Manchester United in the Women’s Super League (WSL). With just three months to go until the start of the World Cup, women's football has been rocked by a new wave of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries to star players
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