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Young Female Athletes At Higher Risk For Sports-Related Overuse Injuries

Beverly Hills orthopedic surgeon Dr. Steven Meier comments on a new study linking excessive training to overuse injuries in young female athletes

According to a new research study from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, published in the April 2015 issue of the Journal of Pediatrics, high school aged female athletes, particularly in the area of track and field, are at a significantly higher risk of developing potentially sidelining repetitive motion and mechanical overuse injuries than male peers in the same age group

Lead researcher Dr. Thomas Best and his team evaluated 3,000 cases of male and female sports-related injuries over a seven year period across 20 common high school sports including track and field, soccer, volleyball, and lacrosse. Dr. Best and his team found that female athletes suffered the most injuries across several sports. The data showed that the highest rate of injuries acquired in girls’ track and field, followed by girls’ field hockey and girls’ lacrosse.

“The results of the study are not very surprising,” said Dr. Steven Meier, an orthopedic sports surgeon and regenerative medicine expert at Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine in Beverly Hills. “Young athletes are putting in more time practicing and competing than ever before, which can lead to pain, stress fractures, and knee and joint pain, and muscle and tendon strains and tears.”

The researchers found that the typical high school athlete spends as many as 18 hours each week practicing a single sport, with the most common overuse injuries found in the legs, knees, and shoulders. Overuse injuries were found to be most common among young athletes from the ages of 13 – 17, accounting for twice as many orthopedic sports medicine cases as traumatic impact injuries.

“At Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine, we stress to all of our professional athletes, weekend warriors, and young adult and teenage athletes alike the importance of cross training and variety in physical activity. Factors like nutrition and sufficient vitamin D and calcium intake are especially important for bone strength and health among developing adolescent athletes. While practice is very important for performance, spending too much time on the same activity can actually lead to injury, and end up hurting performance in the long run,” added Dr. Meier.

In 15 years of medical practice, Dr. Meier proves his commitment to caring for patients with the most leading-edge medicine. His ongoing work to heal through multiple therapeutic techniques exemplifies how Dr. Meier’s medical mission is #KeepingYouActive.

Steven Meier, M.D. is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine doctor in Beverly Hills, California. As a renowned expert in the most advanced techniques for shoulder and knee surgery, Dr. Meier is highly sought-after for his cutting-edge joint preservation and restoration procedures. He graduated with honors from Loyola Medical School in Chicago, received his residency training at Northwestern University, and completed his fellowship in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery at the University of California San Diego. To learn more about Dr. Meier and his practice, please visit http://www.MOSM.com/ or call (310) 777-7845.

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