Surprisingly, when investigating disparities in injury type and body parts affected between genders, existing studies have yielded inconclusive findings. Female athletes tend to report a higher prevalence of injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament sprains (36), ankle sprains (10), and stress fractures (7) when contrasted with their male counter parts.” If you’re the parent of an active teenage girl, you might be wondering what the effects are on bone health for girls in high-impact sports.
In this article, we’ll explore how playing high-impact sports can increase the risk of stress fractures in girls.
New study shows girls in high-impact sports twice as likely to suffer stress fractures
According to a new study published by JAMA Pediatrics, girls who play high impact sports more than 8 hours per week are twice as likely to suffer a stress fracture than their less active peers.
The activities that put girls most at risk for fractures include basketball, running and gymnastics, which involve a lot of repeated jumping and landing, putting more stress on their bones.
The study found that the risk of injury increases by around 8% for each added hour of training.
Study recommends more varied training and reduced hours
The results of the study prompted recommendations for those who supervise girls in high-impact sports such as basketball, cheerleading, gymnastic and so on, to promote more of a mix of training that also includes low-impact and non-impact activities.
Doing so is thought to reduce the risk of stress fractures for girls in high-impact sports. The study stressed that while it’s very important to encourage young girls and women to be active, there needs to be a balance between high-impact and low-impact activities, and it is generally recommended that girls in high-impact sports aren’t training for 15-20 hours per week.
Why does it matter?
Most of us know how important it is for girls to be physically active in childhood. By being physically active, girls will increase their bone mass density as they grow, which lowers their risk for osteoporosis in adulthood.
It’s important to note that the study stresses their aim isn’t to dissuade girls from participating in high impact sports, but rather to vary their exercise routine so that they’re not putting repetitive strain on certain bones by repeating certain actions excessively each week.
Looking for extra protection for girls in high-impact sports? Choose Fempro Armour
If you’re raising a girl in high-impact sports, then you’ll definitely want to check out our range of protective armour.
Common traumas that girls in high-impact sports often suffer include rib and sternal fractures. That’s because any direct blow to the chest may trigger such injuries. These include direct impacts from hard objects such as sticks, bats, projectiles, or even human body parts like the elbow.
Born out of a desire to better protect women and girls in high impact sports, Fempro Armour offers female designed chest, body armour & garments that reflect who we as women are and celebrate the sports we love to do.
If your girl participates in a high-impact sport such as basketball, hockey, motocross, or gymnastics, make sure she’s equipped with the right gear to stay safe while she plays the sport she loves.
You can view our range of protective armour here.