Jennifer Naticchia, MD

During my Princeton varsity field hockey days, I had a doctor tell me to stop playing because of back and leg pain. I couldn’t accept that advice. Instead, I found a specialist who would help me with treatments and training aids that would let me keep playing a sport I loved. And the experience motivated me to study sports medicine with an emphasis on exploring the differences between men and women athletes.

Women suffer more knee injuries than men. Why? It has to do with our Q angle – a wider pelvis in relationship to the “Q” or quadriceps angle (where the upper leg bone meets the lower leg bone). A woman’s greater Q angle places more stress on the knee joint and also affects the shock absorption of the foot (pronation) – one of the reasons active women suffer ACL or ligament injuries 5 to 8 times more than men.

There are other reasons why women are more prone to injuries. Hormonal changes cause the ligaments around the knees to loosen or become more flexible. Women have less muscle strength because we have less muscle to protect our joints in proportion to our bone size. Women don’t condition themselves in ways that benefit our differences, but now some of the latest research will help develop training programs specifically designed for women.

Types of injuries:
Arthritis and kneecap pain are most common results of poor conditioning, overuse and just general wear and tear. There’s lots of data saying women are getting more arthritis than men, because of our body shape, environment and genes. ACL and cartilage tears can happen while you’re unloading groceries with just the wrong pivot or shift – the same move that causes athletes to get injured.

Preventing Knee Injuries
Warming up engages your muscles and softens them for more flexibility. Stretch around the knee. Do light weight lifting. Balance drills help your brain know where your knee is positioned. Agility drills help warm up the ligaments.

Cool down muscles and ligaments around the knee by stretching thighs, hamstrings, shins and calves. Drink-ing lots of fluids help recovery.
One reminder of my playing days at Princeton is an achy right knee from overuse, causing the mechanics on my right side to change. So I always recommend buying the proper shoes and over-the-counter, soft arch supports that fit 3/4 the length of the shoe, wearing running sneakers as much as possible throughout the day, and getting fitted at a running store. Buying two good pairs of running sneakers and wearing them alternately allows the cushion to recover. Having properly fitted shoes will help improve a woman’s Q angle and help prevent injuries.

Article by Jennifer Naticchia, MD Virtua Center for Sports Medicine.  To follow Dr. Naticchia, go to VirtuaWoman.org. For more information or to make an appointment with Dr. Naticchia, call (856) 325-5390.