Men and women engage in athletics alike. However, when it comes to sports injuries, female athletes tend to be more susceptible compared to their male counterparts. Though sports injuries vary from one athlete to another, some affect female athletes more than they affect male athletes.
Some of the injuries female athletes experience include stress fractures, kneecap pain, tendonitis, and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. Female athletes also suffer from sprained ankles, joint pain, shin splints, and plantar fasciitis, among others.
Why Women Are More Susceptible To Injuries
Injuries can happen to anyone, but there are several factors that make women more susceptible to sports injuries than men. Here are some of them:
1. Imbalance In Muscle Strength
The hamstring strength in female athletes is generally poor while that of the front thigh muscles, also known as quadriceps, is sturdier. The low strength levels in the hamstring are a risk factor when it comes to engaging in sporting activities.
The low quadricep power in the hamstring muscle strength among female athletes causes an imbalance that increases the chances of women athletes suffering from injuries. These occur when the hamstring muscles are unable to balance with the front thigh muscles. This results in significant stress of the ACL, which ultimately results in injury.
The ACL connects the thighbone to the shinbone via the middle part of the knee. Since the ACL works with other ligaments to stabilize the knee structure, the imbalanced muscle strength between the quadriceps and the hamstring exposes the ligament to sports injuries. The wear and tear cause this part of the knee to become more brittle than usual among women.
2. Female Athletes Have Flat Feet
Naturally, women have flat feet. When it comes to participating in athletic activities, they land on these. On the other hand, male athletes have balls on their feet that enable them to absorb force when engaging in athletic activities like jumping or running.
The flat feet make the female population more susceptible to sports injuries because they’re unable to land on the ground properly during sporting activities. By landing flat on their feet, they pile high pressure on their knees. Their knee muscles are unable to absorb that pressure, resulting in injuries. Visit this site to learn more about knee injuries.
3. Presence Of Estrogen Hormones
Estrogen is a hormone that’s present in all women. In female athletes, this hormone is associated with the weakening of the anterior cruciate ligament. The weakening of these ligaments increases their chances of suffering ACL injuries.
This risk is higher when female athletes are in their menstrual cycle when the levels of estrogen hormone in the body are high. But this isn’t the only time that estrogen makes female athletes susceptible to sports injury.
When they reach puberty, women experience a sharp increase in the estrogen hormone levels, and their legs also grow fast. This growth spurt slows down the process of coordinating the newly elongated limbs in adolescents. At this point, they’re more prone to sports injuries. 
4. Size Of The Intercondylar Notch
Compared to male athletes, the size of the intercondylar notch in female athletes is generally smaller. The intercondylar notch refers to the groove that’s found in the femur. The size of the ACL is also smaller in female athletes than in male athletes. The reduced intercondylar notch and ACL make it easier for female athletes to suffer injuries compared to their male counterparts.
5. Female Athletes Have A Wider Pelvis
You may wonder what the width of a pelvis has to do with sports injuries. The wider the pelvis bone is, the more pressure it carries. Typically, women have a wider pelvis compared to men due to preparation for pregnancy. This causes their thigh bones to angle downwards in a much sharper way. When pressure is applied on the medial aspect of the pelvis, the result is an injury.
6. Ligaments In Female Athletes Are More Lax
The ligaments in women athletes have more laxity compared to the ligaments in men. This means that during athletic activities, they engage in excessive joint motions. Combined with the flexibility that athletes develop during training and rehearsals, the laxity of these ligaments increases. This weakens over time, an aspect that makes female athletes much more susceptible to sports injuries than male athletes.
7. Female Muscle Reflex Time Is Slower
The muscles responsible for stabilizing the knee can take about a millisecond more to respond to a trigger in female athletes than they do in men. This slight difference in reflex time has been associated with an increase in sports injuries among female athletes.
Also, when it comes to running, the posture that female athletes take varies from the one that men take. Compared to male athletes, female athletes run with their posture in the upright position. Male athletes tend to bend forward slightly.
The upright running position that women adopt during athletic activities stresses the ACL. This results in knee joint injuries as they have less control over the movement of the knee joint.
8. Quads Aren't Fully Developed
Female athletes take time to develop their quadriceps fully. By the time young women get to puberty, the muscle mass within their quadriceps isn’t fully developed. At that stage of their development, their bodies aren’t able to build the amount of muscle mass they need to develop their quads fully.
This is different for boys. During puberty, boys are able to build significant amounts of muscle mass. As such, girls tend to have bigger, mature bodies with little strength compared to boys. This puts female athletes at a higher risk of getting sports injuries than male athletes of the same age.
Last Word
While females enjoy sporting activities just like men, the way their bodies are made and function makes them more susceptible to sports injuries. Even so, female athletes engaging in sports that require physical endurance or a lean physique like jumping, sharp movements, and landing are at a higher risk of suffering injuries. Hence, women have to be more cautious while playing.
