Why Are Women More Prone to Sports Injuries?

There are several factors that may make women more prone to sports injuries than men.

Kelly Yalfani, 44, is an extremely active person. She teaches both Pilates and aqua classes, averaging about 20 classes a week. Plus, she works out on her own.

“I did a turkey trot for Thanksgiving last year. But it was 13 degrees, so I did it on a treadmill. Yes. And I pushed myself a little more than I should have and started feeling hip pain,” Yalfani said.

According to Jasmine Toor, M.D., FACP, a fellowship-trained, board-certified physician specializing in primary care sports medicine, the most common injuries she sees in women are hip and knee injuries, and anatomy does play a part.

“Anatomy [is] something that we can’t really change. Women have wider hips that puts different angles and stresses on the knees. So, there’s definitely a risk of ACL injuries because of what we call the Q angle. Women are also more quad dominant. That’s natural. They have weaker hamstrings. So, higher quad-to-hamstring ratios does put more stress on jumping landing and can increase risk of injuries to the knee like ACL tears,” Dr. Toor said.

Yalfani said at first, Dr. Toor recommended rest. A tough request considering her job.

But she also said fitness is more than just the physical part.

“When you’re an active person, you take good care of yourself. You feel pretty good most of the time. You might be sore from a workout, but you don’t realize you know, it’s mental health, too. It really affects your mental health. And it was really hard,” Yalfani said.

The next line of treatment for Yalfani was physical therapy and a cortisone injection. She said she will make changes to her daily routine to better support her body as well.

“When you’re teaching Pilates, you don’t do all the movement. But [with] aqua, you do a little bit more. And so, observing other instructors and figuring out how you teach it but not do all the movement,” Yalfani said.

Dr. Toor noted that there’s one more important thing she wants Yalfani to add to her routine.

“As women age, most importantly, strength training is the number one thing to reduce stress on joints. Shock absorbing helps support our joints, especially since women are also a little more hypermobile than men, too. And that that’s also another risk factor of strength training is really, really important,” Dr. Toor said.

View Dr. Jasmine Toor’s interview regarding women and sports injuries.