scholarly journals Optimizing Health and Athletic Performance for Women

Author(s):  
Celina de Borja ◽  
Cindy J. Chang ◽  
Rhonda Watkins ◽  
Carlin Senter

Abstract Purpose of Review The exponential growth of women participating in competitive sports throughout the years was made possible through several initiatives by the International Olympic Committee and the passage and implementation of Title IX as a federal law in the United States. However, this positive trend towards gender equity in sports has not transpired for women in medicine, especially in fields that care for elite athletes. This current review will discuss specific areas that can be tailored to help female athletes prevent injuries and optimize their athletic performance. We will also highlight how increased female team physician representation in sports may help optimize care for female athletes. Recent Findings Female athletes are considered high risk for certain conditions such as ACL tears, patellofemoral pain syndrome, bone stress injuries, sport-related concussions, and sexual violence in sport. Addressing factors specific to female athletes has been found to be valuable in preventing injuries. Strength and conditioning can optimize athletic performance but remains underutilized among female athletes. Although diversity in healthcare workforce has been found to be beneficial for multiple reasons, women remain underrepresented in sports medicine. Increasing female team physician representation may positively impact care for female athletes. Summary Team physicians must understand the physiologic, biomechanical, and anatomic factors that are unique to female athletes in order to tailor injury prevention programs and optimize their athletic performance. Advocating for gender equity in sports medicine to advance representation of women in the field will increase workforce diversity and promote excellence in sports medicine care.

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 232596711984071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey D. Trojan ◽  
Joshua A. Treloar ◽  
Christopher M. Smith ◽  
Matthew J. Kraeutler ◽  
Mary K. Mulcahey

Background: As many as 30% of patients with knee pain seen in sports medicine clinics have complaints related to the patellofemoral joint. There is a paucity of research available regarding patellofemoral injuries, mechanism of injury, and playing time lost in collegiate athletes. Purpose: To describe the rates, mechanisms, severity, and potential sex-based differences of patellofemoral injuries in collegiate athletes across 25 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Data from the 2009-2010 through the 2013-2014 academic years were obtained from the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program and were analyzed to calculate patellofemoral injury rates, mechanisms of injury, time lost, and need for surgery. Rate ratios and injury proportion ratios were used to quantify discernible differences between sex-comparable sports and timing of injury (ie, practice vs competition), respectively. Results: The overall patellofemoral injury incidence rate was 16.10 per 100,000 athlete-exposures (AEs). Women’s volleyball had the highest incidence of all sports (39.57 per 100,000 AEs). Injuries were 66% more likely to occur in competition than during practice. Female athletes experienced significantly more patellofemoral injuries than males in similar sports. Patellar tendinitis accounted for 49.2% of all patellofemoral injuries and was the most common injury in 20 of 25 studied sports. Patellar subluxation accounted for the most total days missed, and patellar dislocation had the highest mean days missed per injury (11.42 days). Patella fracture was the most likely injury to require surgery (80%). Conclusion: Patellofemoral injuries were most common in sports that require jumping and quick changes of direction, specifically women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, and women’s soccer. The majority of patellofemoral injuries in this cohort were classified as patellar tendinitis caused by overuse. Most injuries resulted in no competition or practice time lost. This information may contribute to the development of prevention programs aimed at addressing the most prevalent types and mechanisms of injury in each sport to reduce the incidence of patellofemoral injury in these athletes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-54 ◽  

It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine that the performance of, and recovery from, sporting activities are enhanced by well-chosen nutrition strategies. These organizations provide guidelines for the appropriate type, amount, and timing of intake of food, fluids, and supplements to promote optimal health and performance across different scenarios of training and competitive sport. This position paper was prepared for members of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada (DC), and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), other professional associations, government agencies, industry, and the public. It outlines the Academy's, DC's and ACSM's stance on nutrition factors that have been determined to influence athletic performance and emerging trends in the field of sports nutrition. Athletes should be referred to a registered dietitian/nutritionist for a personalized nutrition plan. In the United States and in Canada, the Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) is a registered dietitian/nutritionist and a credentialed sports nutrition expert.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nayla Basma

Title IX consists of just thirty-seven words, and it is these words that have transformed the dynamics of the female athletic sphere in the United States. Although the federal law was initially envisioned to assist women in academia, it is currently renowned for its profound impact on American sports [12]. It is an irrefutable fact that Title IX has vastly increased women’s participation in sports, reportedly increasing female participation rates within colleges six-fold from 1972—the year it was passed—to today [3]. Yet, despite the progress made by Title IX, it faces deep challenges in its quest to achieve true equality. Women’s participation rates in sports still lag far behind men, and one cannot ignore this troubling reality that persists in the United States[5]. Thus, the question as to whether or not Title IX has achieved gender equity is highly debatable. This paper intends to illuminate the shortcomings of Title IX’s goal in attaining true equality through analysis of its limitations. Specifically, the essay will first discuss the historical attitudes towards women in sports before Title IX and the structure of the federal law. It will then explore the issues inherent in Title IX, such as the continuation of male preservation, the reduction of men’s sports, and sexual harassment. The scope of this essay will focus mainly on intercollegiate sports.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-5
Author(s):  
Jo Hannafin ◽  
Lisa Callahan

This editorial reviews the rationale for development of Women’s Sports Medicine Programs in the United States.  Current issues surrounding the lack of sex-specific analysis in the published literature are reviewed. There is an ongoing need for basic, translational, and clinical research in optimizing care of female athletes and active women of all ages. The importance of the newly established Journal of Women’s Sports Medicine in fulfilling that need is discussed.


Gendered norms, stereotypes and biases implicitly influence our thoughts, attitudes and behaviours. These often lead to gender inequity, a phenomenon inherent in society and reflected in its various contexts. The increasing awareness of this inequity is leading to reflection and changes in society as a whole and its communities, organisations and institutions. In scientific disciplines, gender inequity has been, and still is, a point of discussion and consideration. In many cases, these discussions have led to positive and sustainable changes at both a structural as well as a policy level. This opinion piece discusses gender inequity in the context of sport science and, in particular, sport medicine in Switzerland. Specifically, academic position (professorships), first authorship of peer-reviewed publications in the SEMS-Journal as well as conference participation and scientific awards in two Swiss sport science organisations: Sportwissenschaftliche Gesellschaft der Schweiz (SGS) and Sport & Exercise Medicine Switzerland (SEMS) in terms of frequency are presented and discussed. An under-representation of women is observed in most categories. Finally, recommendations for promoting and supporting equity while maintaining an objective consideration of quality criteria and individual ability are put forward using examples of good practice.


Author(s):  
Jessica Berg ◽  
Emma Cave

This chapter discusses patient autonomy, capacity, and consent involving children. It first provides a general overview of children’s rights with respect to making medical decisions in both the United States and Europe. The chapter then discusses the best interests standard (which is usually applied in cases of minors) and how to consider capacity in the context of children. In the discussions of European approaches, the chapter covers relevant international and regional human rights law. The jurisdiction of England and Wales are used as examples. The chapter also provides a general overview of US state approaches and federal law. The chapter concludes by noting some new areas of medical decision-making which challenge the traditional models.


Author(s):  
Chandan Saini ◽  
Ashish Miglani ◽  
Pankaj Musyuni ◽  
Geeta Aggarwal

Regular inspections are carried out to ensure system conformity by the Food and Drugs Regulatory Authority (FDA) of the United States one of the most stringent regulatory authorities in the world. The inspectors send Form 483 to the management after the inspection, detailing the inappropriate conditions. Because the FDA guidelines are difficult to comply with, a company can contravene the regulations. If any significant infringements can affect the protection, quality, effectiveness, or public health of the drug is identified, the FDA issues advice to the company. Warning Letters (WL) shall be an official notification of non-compliance with federal law within a period to be issued by manufacturer, clinician, distributor, or responsible person in the company. The delivery of a letter has a considerable impact on the company's reputation and position in the market. Inadequate WL reactions could lead to a refusal, import denial, memorandum or even conviction and order. A brief study was conducted in this document of Form 483 and WL for four years (2017–2020) on an understanding the regulatory provisions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 232596712096990
Author(s):  
Omeet Khatra ◽  
Armita Shadgan ◽  
Jack Taunton ◽  
Amir Pakravan ◽  
Babak Shadgan

Background: Although citation analysis is common in many areas of medicine, there is a lack of similar research in sports and exercise medicine. Purpose: To identify and examine the characteristics of the 100 top cited articles in the field of sports and exercise medicine in an effort to determine what components make an article highly influential. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases were used to determine the 100 top cited articles from 46 journals in the field of sports and exercise medicine. Each of the 100 articles was then analyzed by 2 independent reviewers, and results were compared. Basic information was collected, including journal title, country of origin, and study type. Different categories were compared using descriptive statistics of counts or percentages. Results: The 100 top cited articles were published in 15 of the 46 identified sports and exercise medicine journals, with the most prolific being Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (n = 49), American Journal of Sports Medicine (n = 18), and Sports Medicine (n = 7). In terms of country of origin, the top 3 contributors were the United States (n = 65), Canada (n = 9), and Sweden (n = 8). The most commonly researched anatomic areas were the knee (n = 15) and the brain (n = 3). Narrative reviews were the most common study type (n = 38), and only a single study on the 100 top cited articles list used a randomized controlled trial design. The most prevalent fields of study were exercise science (55% of articles) and well-being (16% of articles). Conclusion: Narrative reviews from the United States and published in English-language journals were the most likely to be highly cited. In addition, the knee was a common anatomic area of study on the top cited list of research in sports and exercise medicine


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Raymond Foxworth ◽  
Laura E. Evans ◽  
Gabriel R. Sanchez ◽  
Cheryl Ellenwood ◽  
Carmela M. Roybal

We draw on new and original data to examine both partisan and systemic inequities that have fueled the spread of COVID-19 in Native America. We show how continued political marginalization of Native Americans has compounded longstanding inequalities and endangered the lives of Native peoples. Native nations have experienced disproportionate effects from prior health epidemics and pandemics, and in 2020, Native communities have seen greater rates of infection, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. We find that Native nations have more COVID-19 cases if they are located in states with a higher ratio of Trump supporters and reside in states with Republican governors. Where there is longstanding marginalization, measured by lack of clean water on tribal lands and health information in Native languages, we find more COVID-19 cases. Federal law enables non-members to flout tribal health regulations while on tribal lands, and correspondingly, we find that COVID-19 cases rise when non-members travel onto tribal lands. Our findings engage the literatures on Native American politics, health policy within U.S. federalism, and structural health inequalities, and should be of interest to both scholars and practitioners interested in understanding COVID-19 outcomes across Tribes in the United States.


2005 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 440-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Antonini Philippe ◽  
Roland Seiler

This study assessed whether men and women differed in using associative and dissociative cognitive strategies during athletic performance. Athletes (31 men, M age = 23.2 yr., SD = 3.9 and 29 women, M age = 22.9 yr., SD = 4.3) who practiced endurance activities (running, swimming, and cycling) were considered high-level performers because they participated in national or international competition. The athletes were interviewed, and Schomer's 1986 method of measurement was used to evaluate and quantify two cognitive strategies. Most specifically, categories of association concerned the way the athlete paid close attention to bodily signals, and categories of dissociation described how the athlete shunned sensory inputs. Analysis of variance and the t test showed that women tend to be more dissociative than men and men more associative than women. The results suggest that pain perception in these sports may be a function of sex.


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