Sex-related Differences In Sports Performance And Injury

Abstract

There is a paucity of studies specifically addressing injury rates and patterns between female versus females in regards to their athletic performance. As females strive to become better athletes and attempt to close the gender performance gap, they the risk for injury may increase. PURPOSE: The objective of the study was to evaluate selected sport disciplines according to sex and age and the extent they affect changes in performance, the rate of sport injuries, and relationships between change in performance and number and types of athletic injuries sustained. METHODS: Data for 2000 to 2012 were collected. Non-contact, individual sports with equal distances and mechanics between males versus females were chosen to minimize external influences. Performance data for the sports_track and field, swimming, and triathlon_were obtained from an online database of sport records. Injury data were from the NEISS database of the Consumer Products Safety Commission. A customized Matlab program was used to determine national estimates for injuries broken down by age group and injury type. T-tests were used to determine significance; p<0.05 defined significance. RESULTS: TRACK & FIELD: Runners in transition from 11-12 to 13-14 years demonstrated improved performances, with females having significantly higher injury rates. SWIMMING: As performance times improved across the age groups, there was no injury difference between the sexes. TRIATHLON: The running and swimming component showed a gradual decrease in performance difference but there were no differences in injury rates between the sexes. INJURY TYPE: The track & field 11-12 age group demonstrated a difference by sex for ankle sprain and strain (p=0.005), with more injuries among females. CONCLUSION: Increased performance in running correlates with injury rate for young athletes (11-12 years old) with higher injury rate for females versus males. Swimming and biking performance do not correlate with injury rates and types for either sex at any age. More research is needed to evaluate differences between sexes as sport performances improve in both males and females.