WSJ Writes about Soccer Injuries

Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal has an interesting article about soccer injuries.  It really focuses on the different types of injuries that boys and girls get.

From the article:

More boys tend to hurt their ankles, while girls tend to hurt their knees. Studies have found that adolescent girls are four to six times more likely to tear their anterior cruciate ligament, found in the back of the knee, than boys of the same age, according to the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness. Scientists are not sure why, but believe estrogen makes girls’ ligaments looser, and lower levels of testosterone make it harder for girls than boys to build muscle. Also, because girls’ muscles are different sizes and proportions compared to boys, Dr. Kirkendall says girls tend to stay more erect when they land, which absorbs less shock and can cause their knees to buckle.

Another interesting thing from the article:

Girls are also more susceptible to heat illness, according to a 10-year study of participants in the Schwan’s USA Cup, the largest youth soccer tournament in the Western hemisphere. In the two years when the heat index topped 84 degrees, girls were 1.7 times more likely to suffer heat illness—exhaustion, hyperventilation or cramping—than their male counterparts. (Both years officials shortened playing time, required water breaks and allowed unlimited player substitutions.)

The article is worth reading.

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