How a lack of female sports medicine research is causing women to suffer more injuries than male athletes By Grace Macdonald Published: 14:27 EDT, 23 August 2024 | Updated: 14:27 EDT, 23 August 2024 e-mail View comments Women are increasingly taking centre stage in the sports world, breaking records and inspiring generations. But beneath the spotlight, a troubling disparity emerges. While female athletes are proving their athletic prowess, they're also suffering a disproportionate number of injuries.
The treatment and research surrounding women's sports injuries often lags behind that of their male counterparts - and experts say it's time to question why. According to The Gist, less than 35 percent of exercise medicine subjects are female and women account for only 3 to 6 percent of study participants when looking at sports-performance research. A lack of female sports medicine research is causing women to suffer more injuries than men Treatment and research for women's sports injuries lags behind their male counterparts' The majority of protocol for training and injury prevention is based on studies that were only performed with men, leaving physicians with no choice but to advise females as they advise their male counterparts.
In recent years, additional studies have been focused on the differences in injury between men and women. In one such study, it was proven that women and girls have a 50 percent higher chance of getting a concussion than men and boys in comparable spo.