Posts Tagged ‘women athletes’
Obviously, you don’t have to be a chiropractor to know that men and women are different! And, all those wonderful differences are what make the world go round, right? For example, I happen to have more female patients than male patients for the simple reason that women tend to take their health and wellness more seriously than most men do. But, of course, there’s much more that separates “Mars From Venus”! Men and women look differently, think differently, act differently, talk differently, and move differently, and they use different muscles when they move, even when they are doing what appears to be the same movement. For instance, according to a study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, when men and women kick a soccer ball, there are significant differences in knee alignment and muscle activation that occur. That right! Even a soccer ball can be manhandled or treated with a feminine touch! But, back to the study…the new data reveals that males activate certain hip and leg muscles more than females during the motion of the instep and side-foot kicks, the most common soccer kicks. And, I know from my professional experience with athletic female patients that female soccer players are more than twice as likely as males to sustain an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, which is extremely painful and usually requires extensive physical therapy, surgery, or both.
This is an important study because soccer is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States (for children as well as young adults) with approximately 20 million registered players. This number has been increasing by more then 20 percent annually, according to statistics from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). And, women are playing this sport on more competitive levels, just like the men (only differently).
Robert H. Brophy, MD, the author of the study and assistant professor of orthopedics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said that the tests he and his colleagues performed, using video cameras, retro-reflective markers and electrodes simultaneously, revealed that male players activate the hip flexors (inside the hip) in their kicking leg and the hip abductors (outside of the hip) in their supporting leg far more than females (more than twice as much, in fact). So, what causes the injury? Well, since females have less activation of the hip abductors, their hips tend to collapse into adduction (go in) during the kick. This can increase the load on the knee joint in the supporting leg and potentially put it at greater risk for injury.
So, what did the researchers conclude? “Activation of the hip abductors (in females) may help protect players against ACL injury,” said Dr. Brophy.
And, may I add that as a chiropractor, I support regular chiropractic care and a good stretching regimen, both of which can help to keep the musculoskeletel system in good alignment, keep joints mobile, and muscles limber.