Contact Information: For more information, contact: Catherine Dolf C: (847) 894-9112 O: (847) 384-4034 Lauren Pearson C: (224) 374-8610 O: (847) 384-4031
Sex Matters From Sports to Life, Gender Really Makes a Difference in Musculoskeletal Health
A Person's Sex Really Does Make a Difference When It Comes to Musculoskeletal Health
| Source: AAOS
SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - March 5, 2008) - We know men and women are different on
the outside, but the differences on the inside are astronomical, as well.
Today, orthopaedic surgeons are calling for increased research and
education when it comes to protecting a woman's musculoskeletal health.
"It is not a question of which sex is defined as normal or prototypical,"
said Kim Templeton, MD, associate professor in the department of
orthopaedic surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center, in Kansas
City, Kan., and chief of orthopaedic surgery at the Kansas City VA Medical
Center. "Men and women are now and always will be two different variations
on a theme; therefore, it is imperative we understand those differences and
have distinctly different options for preventing disease and injury for
each sex."
The number of women athletes with orthopaedic injuries now reflects the
numbers of women who are flooding into both amateur and professional
sports. "Although we, as orthopaedic surgeons, are better able to fix
those injuries today," Dr. Templeton noted, "these women will never be like
they were before their injuries, and they are increasing their risk of
becoming disabled at an earlier age." Women already have a higher rate of
arthritis just
because they are women, but add a sports injury to the mix and the risk of
actually developing arthritis shoots way up the charts.
Dr. Templeton shares a few more facts about what is really happening:
FACT: Most athletic shoes are not specially designed for the female foot.
REALITY: Compared to men, women have a narrower heel and a wider forefoot,
so wearing shoes that do not consider those variables may increase the
number of foot and ankle and, potentially, knee injuries. Many companies
just downsize a version of the men's shoe.
FACT: Women tend to be "quadricep dominant." A woman's quadricep muscles
fire faster and stronger than her hamstring muscles; the function of those
muscles in men is more balanced.
REALITY: If this inherent difference in muscle function and coordination
is not taken into account during training, women can be more susceptible to
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
This is one explanation for the substantially higher incidence of ACL
injuries among women, compared to men.
A call for more research, better training and prevention, along with
increased education, will be just some of the topics discussed at a media
briefing entitled, "Sex Matters: From Sports to Life, Gender Really Makes a
Difference in Musculoskeletal Health," at the 75th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
(AAOS), in the Moscone Convention Center, South Mezzanine, on Wednesday,
Mar. 5, 2008, at 11:15 a.m., in Room 224.
Join Dr. Templeton as she moderates a panel including: Laura Tosi, MD,
Letha Griffin, MD, Jo Hannafin, MD, and Naomi Shields, MD, for frank
discussion and more interesting facts and realities when it comes to a
women's musculoskeletal health.
Editor's Note: Full disclosure information for each AAOS media-briefing
participant is available upon request. Please contact Catherine Dolf,
(Cell) (847) 894-9112 dolf@aaos.org or Lauren Pearson, (Cell)
(224) 374-8610 lpearson@aaos.org for more information.
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