Female Sports Athletes Research Articles

High symptom profile in female athletes in sports with a high incidence of concussion

High symptom profile in female athletes in sports with a high incidence of concussion

Stress Urinary Incontinence in Young Female Athletes- From Prevalence to Treatment- A Review

Urinary incontinence is a prevalent issue among females aged 15-65, with prevalence rates ranging from 10% to 55%. Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) is the most common form in young athletes, with rates ranging from 0% (golf) to 80% (trampolinists). Activities like jumping, landing, and running can cause leakage due to an increase in intraabdominal pressure. This study aimed to identify management strategies and the prevalence of SUI in teenage female athletes. A literature search was conducted on studies conducted between 1990 and the present, excluding abstracted and non-open access studies. The research found that the chance of urinary stress incontinence in young and nulliparous female athletes in sports ranges from 0% (golf) to 80% (trampolinists). These activities, including gymnastics, long jumps, track and field, and ball activities, significantly impact their standard of existence, psychological situation, and athletic performance. Effective conservative treatment options for SUI include behavioral and lifestyle modifications, pelvic floor exercises, and core strengthening exercises. Female athletes require significantly stronger pelvic floor muscles than inactive females, and contraction of these muscles should occur as the inner core muscles are engaged. Future studies, instruction, and focused therapies are needed for female athletes with SUI.

Poster 384: Inequalities in the Evaluation of Male vs. Female Athletes in Sports Medicine Research: A Systematic Review

Objectives: Female sport participation has steadily increased over the past several decades; however, inequalities still exist regarding participation rates, social norms, and available resources. It is possible that inequalities between male and female athletes extend beyond the performance of sport and into medical research. Therefore, the purposes of this systematic review were to 1) compare the number of published studies evaluating male vs. female athletes in various sports, and 2) identify which co-ed sports currently under-represent female athletes in the sports medicine literature. Methods: All non-review research studies published from 2017-2021 in six top sports medicine journals were considered for inclusion. Only sports medicine studies that isolated athletes, reported study outcomes specific to male and/or female patients, provided study outcomes for specific sport(s), and evaluated three or fewer different sports, were included. The total number of studies reporting on male and/or female athletes were compared for all sports, and odds ratios (OR) were calculated. Comparisons of study design, level of sport participation, outcomes assessed, and study quality were also made based on subject sex. Results: Overall, 669 studies were included the systematic review. Most of the included studies isolated male athletes (70.7%), while 8.8% isolated female athletes and 20.5% included both male and female athletes. Female athletes were more frequently studied in softball and volleyball, while male athletes were more commonly researched in baseball, soccer, American football, basketball, rugby, hockey, and Australian football. Notably, male athletes were largely favored in baseball/softball (91% vs. 5%, OR=18.2), rugby (72% vs. 5%, OR=14.4), soccer (65% vs. 15%, OR=4.3), and basketball (58% vs. 18%, OR=3.2). Conclusions: Sports medicine research has favored the evaluation of male athletes in most sports, including the majority of co-ed sports. Potential reasons for this inequality of research evaluation include availability of public and database data, financial and promotional incentive, a high percentage of sports medicine clinicians and researchers being male, and sex biases in sport. While the causes of these differences are multi-faceted, researchers should consider both sexes for study inclusion whenever possible and journals should support a more balanced representation of research publications regarding male and female athletes.

Why do female athletes face harassment and bullying? A mixed-methods study

The phenomenon of escalating harassment and bullying of female athletes in sports demonstrates that there is a gap and urgency for further scrutiny. This study aims to reveal harassment and bullying cases against female athletes in sports. This study applied a mixed method. Participants in this study were athletes in several sports organizations at the University of Islam 45 Bekasi (n = 30). A questionnaire was used as the quantitative research instrument to measure harassment and bullying in athletes, while in-depth interviews were used as the qualitative research instrument. Quantitative statistical analysis used IBM SPSS to find frequency and percentage, and qualitative analysis used thematic analysis. The quantitative research results significantly proved that all participants often experience harassment and bullying, with the highest rate occurring in gymnastics, swimming, volleyball, and soccer. While the results of the qualitative research showed that all participants had experiences or stories about harassment and bullying, the causal factors included the conditions of the training environment, athletes' clothes, attitudes, and the knowledge of coaches and athletes. In addition, participants stated that harassment and bullying negatively impact their health and psychological aspects. As a result, we emphasize that incidents of harassment and bullying occur frequently in female athletes while they are participating in sports. It is expected that this research could provide information and understanding to all sports practitioners in Indonesia and all countries in the world that harassment and bullying are very dangerous and immoral and must be handled as soon as possible by providing strict rules.

Gender-specific issues of strength training loads planning for elite female athletes

Introduction
 Strength training is a fairly popular topic, both among sports product users and among scientists in Switzerland and other countries around the world. Nevertheless, the analysis of the literature is indicating that there is not enough scientifically based research on gender-specific issues of strength training loads planning for female athletes in sports of higher achievements.
 Purpose
 The goal of this study was to identify gender-specific issues in the planning of strength training loads for elite female athletes based on the psychophysiological and biomechanical methods of controlling.
 Methods
 To determine the model characteristics of the optimal psychophysiological state (indicators of the efficiency of attention, volume of voluntary attention, productivity, coefficients of motivational, volitional and typological components, stress resistance) and balance function of elite male and female athletes during practising competitions, we compared two independent groups (women, n = 17 and men, n = 24). All participants were aware of the objectives of the study and agreed to participate. Mathematical and statistical processing and data analysis were carried out using the computing and graphic capabilities of the computer programs “Statistica” (Statsoft, version 7.0) and Microsoft Excel 2010.
 Results
 The analysed factors and their component indicators to determine the state of psychophysiological functions for women and men. The analysis of the obtained indicators indicates that the manifestation of the characteristics of psychophysiological functions for men and women has its own gender characteristics. For men, it is a predominance of attention, and for women, mobility and strength of nervous processes. As for the quality of the balance function, significantly higher indicators (p < 0,05) are observed for women precisely when performing an attempt with closed eyes.
 Conclusions
 The sexual peculiarities of the formation of psychophysiological functions of elite athletes, the functional peculiarities of psychomotor and mental activity, as well as the peculiarities of the psychophysiological organization of information processing were revealed. The nuances regarding the indicators of quality of the balance function among elite athletes, depending on gender, are revealed, which is primarily related to the location of the centres of gravity: in women, it is located in the hips, and in men, it is much higher. This will, for example, directly affect the difference in the recommended angle in the knee area for female and male athletes during the strength exercise “squat with a barbell”. In addition, we would like to note that the data of the studied literature sources and our previous studies allow us to formulate a hypothesis regarding the change in the speed of basic training in elite female athletes under the influence of hormonal changes in different phases of their menstrual cycle. This hypothesis will be further investigated in forthcoming research.

Inequalities in the Evaluation of Male Versus Female Athletes in Sports Medicine Research: A Systematic Review

Background: Female sports participation continues to rise; however, inequalities between male and female athletes still exist in many areas and may extend into medical research. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to (1) compare the number of published studies evaluating male versus female athletes in various sports and (2) identify which co-ed sports currently underrepresent female athletes in the sports medicine literature. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: All nonreview research studies published from 2017 to 2021 in 6 top sports medicine journals were considered for inclusion. Sports medicine studies were included that isolated athletes, reported study outcomes specific to male and/or female patients, provided study outcomes for specific sports, and evaluated ≤3 different sports. The total number of studies reporting on male and/or female athletes were compared for all sports, and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated. Comparisons of study design, level of sports participation, outcomes assessed, and study quality were also made according to participant sex. Results: Overall, 669 studies were included the systematic review. Most studies isolated male athletes (70.7%), while 8.8% isolated female athletes and 20.5% included male and female athletes. Female athletes were more frequently studied in softball and volleyball, while male athletes were more commonly researched in baseball, soccer, American football, basketball, rugby, hockey, and Australian football. Notably, male athletes were largely favored in baseball/softball (91% vs 5%; OR = 18.2), rugby (72% vs 5%; OR = 14.4), soccer (65% vs 15%; OR = 4.3), and basketball (58% vs 18%; OR = 3.2). Conclusion: Sports medicine research has favored the evaluation of male athletes in most sports, including the majority of co-ed sports. Potential reasons for this inequality of research evaluation include availability of public data and database data, financial and promotional incentives, a high percentage of male sports medicine clinicians and researchers, and sex biases in sport. While the causes of these differences are multifaceted, researchers should consider both sexes for study inclusion whenever possible, and journals should support a more balanced representation of research publications regarding male and female athletes.

Customizing Functional Rehabilitation and Return to Sport in the Female Overhead Athlete

Participation of female athletes in sports at all levels continues to grow exponentially, as well as the injuries they experience during play. A literature review does outline return to sport guidelines, yet few studies address the potential need for differences between male and female athletes. This commentary is a review of the literature that outlines various sports that involve both male and female overhead athletes and potential differences in upper-extremity injuries and strengths and weaknesses between sexes. This information proposes the potential need to customize return-to-sport guidelines and screens that include recommendations for overhead female athletes within their specific sport, following both injury as well as surgical intervention. Level of EvidenceV.

GENDER DIFFERENCES AND AGGRESSION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF YOUNG AND ADULT ATHLETES

This comparative study was adopted to compare the level of the aggression among young and adult athletes and gender differences in aggression. The subjects were N=120 (Male=66 & Female 54) athletes from the different colleges, universities and sports clubs in Faisalabad, the age range of young athletes 12 to 18 years and adult athletes age between 20 to 30 years part of the sample. Buss & Perry Aggression scale was used to measure aggression and reliability of scale (Cornbrash’s Alpha = 0.814). Results of multivariate analysis of the varia (Independent T-Test) T=9.02 p<0.03 Percent shows the difference between young and adults’ athletes’ aggressive behavior, Male athlete score high on the aggression scale rather than female. There is the significant aggression difference between male and female athletes in sports. Male athletes are more aggressive as compare female athletes (T=9.86, P<0.02) in aggression.

Hip dysplasia in wrestlers: three lessons learned.

Hip problems due to dysplasia are commonly associated with female athletes in sports demanding supraphysiologic motion, such as ballet, gymnastics and figure skating. However, hip problems are rarely mentioned among wrestlers, a male sport in which flexibility is advantageous. Dysplasia may have a mostly unrecognized prevalence among wrestlers that can lead to problems and benefit from reorientation periacetabular osteotomy (PAO). Study design in this research is Level 4 evidence case reports. Three consecutive intercollegiate wrestlers ages 20, 21 and 22 years underwent PAO for dysplasia and are reported. Two underwent concomitant arthroscopy. Each returned successfully to intercollegiate wrestling at 6, 8 and 11 months. There were no complications. This work concludes that dysplasia has an unknown but mostly unrecognized prevalence among wrestlers. With proper recognition and treatment with PAO, there is a reasonable expectation that they could return to wrestling.

PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE TRAINING AND PERFORMANCE OF FEMALE ATHLETES IN SPORTS IN TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGES IN CENTRAL REGION OF KENYA

The purpose of this study was to evaluate psychological factors that influence the training and performance of female athletes in sports in teacher training colleges in central region of Kenya. The study assessed the extent to which the coach athlete relationship, coach leadership behaviour, fear of strenuous exercises , fear of injuries resulting from training and motivation using verbal reinforcement influences training and performance of female athletes in sports in teacher training colleges in central region of Kenya. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The target population for the study comprised female athletes in certificate and diploma teacher training colleges. The teacher training colleges were stratified into two strata; certificate teacher training college and diploma teacher training college. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 50% certificate teacher training colleges. Since there was only one diploma teacher training college, it was purposively selected. The study selected 444 (21.6%) respondents from the two randomly selected certificate teacher colleges and the one diploma training college. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to code and organize the data. The data were summarized into descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages. The results were presented in the form of tables. The hypotheses were tested using Wilcoxon signed ranks test at significance level of 0.05. The study results revealed that the female athletes’ involvement in training activities is influenced by the coach leadership behaviour and coach- athlete relationship. The study results also revealed that female athletes differ in their preference for male or female coaches and also youthful or elderly coaches. The fear of strenuous exercises prescribed by the coach, fear of injuries and motivation using verbal reinforcement were all found to influence female athletes’ participation in training activities. As a result, the researcher has recommended training of female athletes by coaches who understand female athletes’ psychological needs, having an assistant coach when a male coach is coaching female athletes, training of teachers/tutors who double as coaches on methodology that equips them with knowledge on the coach-athlete relationship and coach leadership behaviour as well as addressing the psychological factors influencing coaching of female athletes through the curriculum.

Psychological Situations of Elite Turkish Female Athletes in Premenstrual Period

Background In the last 20 years female participation in sports increased due the passage of particular act. According to this law the discrimination against female athletes in sports was relatively decreased. Aim of this study was the menstrual situations of Turkish female team athletes and individual athletes in premenstrual syndrome period. Material & Methods: After a New Scale for Premenstrual Syndrome was conducted to the sample of the study, some significant results were gained. The menstrual situations of individual female athletes who deal with wrestling, judo, and taekwondo branches were assessed. In this study team athletes were 120 females and individual athletes were 146 females in total 266 females. The survey was conducted to these athletes. Frequency distributions were noticed according to gathered data for two or more variables and chi square and independent sample t test were applied to some of the items. Significance level was set at 5%. Results: It is seen that depressive affectivity, anxiety, exhaustion, anger, pain, appetite changes and timidity which are the conditions of premenstrual syndrome differed in a significant way in team athletes than in individual athletes. There is significant difference between the branches and the effect of participation to competition to performance in menstrual period. Conclusions: The responsibility of competitive in team sports was shared by all team athletes. In individual sports, athletes must cope with psychological and physical stresses of competitive by herself. Therefore, the findings of this study suggest that individual athletes maybe confronted with the psychological stresses during match and training.

Core Stability for the Female Athlete

The anatomical core that is addressed in stability training refers to the combination of all muscles that surround the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex. Weakness of these muscles has been proposed to be related to greater incidence of lower extremity injuries in female athletes in sports that require jumping and high-speed running combined with cutting/pivoting maneuvers. Core stabilization and strengthening programs are thought to promote increased lumbo-pelvic-hip stability and increased neuromuscular recruitment toward the intended goal of decreasing low back and lower extremity injuries. Despite anecdotal reports of these positive training effects, a direct relationship between core strength and greater athletic performance has not been strongly supported in the literature. An understanding of the available evidence will assist those involved with the training and rehabilitation of female athletes in using an evidence-based approach when developing training programs in order to reduce the increased incidence of lower extremity injuries in female athletes. Literature for this review was identified through the electronic databases MEDLINE, PUBMED, CINAHL, and SPORTDISCUS. The keywords core stability, female athlete, injury, lower extremity, low back, and pelvis were used alone and in various combinations.