Women’s Orthopedic Health
Women are every bit as active in sports today as men, in addition to the perpetual marathon that is and has always been a woman's life - managing work, family and everyday events.
Orthopedic health through proper nutrition and a training and conditioning program addressing the musculoskeletal and physiological vulnerabilities of women, which predispose many to certain types of injuries and conditions, is key to joint and bone health and longevity.
The Q-angle (quadriceps angle) effect on the knee joint and ligament laxity resulting from estrogen production more than doubles the risk of knee and foot injuries in women compared to those in men. Among the leading injuries are anterior crusiate ligament tears (ACL tears), anterior knee pain syndrome (runner's knee) and plantar fasciitis, a condition causing inflammation of the ligaments in the foot.
Strengthening supporting muscles surrounding the vulnerable joints will help protect the joint and reduce the risk of injury or inflammatory conditions. For the knee joint, the key muscles on which to focus are the quadriceps at the front of the thigh and the opposing hamstrings at the back. The quadriceps represents a group of four muscles, the largest muscle group in the human body. The largest of the quadriceps muscles is the vastus medialis oblique (VMO), which is among the most important as it is responsible for the alignment of the kneecap and has a natural tendency to track outward.
The equally strong quadriceps and hamstrings will serve as stabilizers for the knee joint and help evenly distribute across the knee stress resulting from repetitive sports and activities - therefore reducing risk of injury.
Other common orthopedic injuries and conditions affecting women more frequently than men include: Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS), inflammation affecting a band of ligaments along the outside of the leg running from the hip to the shin; stress fractures, small fissures in the bone resulting from repetitive stress and/or osteoporosis; and patellofemoral syndrome, grinding in the knee joint and chronic kneecap pain.
More injuries and conditions frequently seen in women and some of the activities prompting the condition are listed below.
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