{"id":11884,"date":"2026-05-01T06:00:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T05:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/?p=11884"},"modified":"2026-04-21T10:24:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T09:24:41","slug":"lower-extremity-injury-prevention-in-female-woman-and-girl-athletes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/2026\/05\/01\/lower-extremity-injury-prevention-in-female-woman-and-girl-athletes\/","title":{"rendered":"Lower extremity injury prevention in female, woman, and girl athletes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lower extremity injury rates in sport are high and have significant consequences; however, the current evidence to inform the prevention of lower extremity injuries female\/woman\/girl athletes is sparse. Our team recently conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of female\/woman\/girl athletes\u2019 lower-extremity injury prevention strategies [e.g., training strategies, personal protective equipment (PPE), policy\/rules, and injury management] and their unintended consequences.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is this important?<\/h3>\n

Lower-extremity injuries account for over 60% of all female\/woman\/girl sport injurie (<\/span>1, 2).<\/span> In any given season, up to 50% of female\/woman\/girl athletes playing a variety of sports will experience a lower-extremity injury (<\/span>2, 3).<\/span> These injuries have a high financial cost (<\/span>4-6)<\/span> and short and long-term consequences (<\/span>7-11).<\/span> However, the majority of the current evidence is derived from male\/man\/boy athletes, or data combining genders\/sexes with few studies considering female\/women\/girl-specific data.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lower-extremity injury prevention interventions include neuromuscular training-based injury prevention programs (NMT) that include balance, strength, agility, and\/or running\/movement\/cutting drills, personal protective equipment (PPE), policy\/rule changes, and injury management (<\/span>12-16).<\/span> While some information is known concerning the efficacy of NMT programs (<\/span>17-19),<\/span> these data are inconsistent. There is currently little-known concerning PPE, policy\/rule changes, or injury management. The absence of detailed information has limited clinical interpretation and application of injury-prevention strategies in female\/woman\/girl sports. Analyzing existing female\/women\/girl-specific data could enhance the understanding of the effectiveness of lower-extremity injury prevention strategies for female\/woman\/girl athletes and enable sport partners\u2014such as athletes, coaches, clinicians, parents, and community sport organizations\u2014to implement evidence-informed best practices and policies for injury prevention.<\/span><\/p>\n

How did we study this?<\/h3>\n

We reviewed and included 82 studies and performed a meta-analysis on studies that specifically reported the effects of female\/woman\/girl NMT training on lower extremity injury. Of note, 7% of all studies did not report the number or % of sex or gender when female\/woman\/girl and male\/man\/boy athletes were included. There was not sufficient data to perform meta-analysis for PPE, policy\/rules, or injury management.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What did the study find?<\/h3>\n

Across the 82 studies, a total of 154,561 participants (84,915 females\/women\/girls, 55%) were included. Neuromuscular-based training programs [(NMT) n=60, 73%] were the most frequently studied prevention strategy, followed by personal protective equipment (PPE) (n=9, 11%), policy\/rules change (n=4, 5%), and 6 (7%) education. Of note, 7% of all studies did not report the number or % of sex or gender when female\/woman\/girl and male\/man\/boy athletes were included. There was not sufficient data to perform meta-analysis for PPE, policy\/rules, or injury management.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n