Injury prevention for female athletes

A recent systematic review (a study that looks at all studies for a certain topic) investigated effective strategies for reducing the risk of lower limb injuries in female athletes. Why is it important, because in one sport season 50% of females experience lower limb injuries. The review included data from 82 studies and included 154,000 female athletes (both adults and kids). So what did it find:

Injury ‘prevention’ programs

Injury ‘prevention’ programs were most effective in reducing the risk of ACL tears (reduce risk by 61%) and to a lesser degree ankle injuries (reduce risk by 39%). They did not seem to affect the risk of thigh injuries.

Why is this important

Well because injuries suck. So anyway we can prevent them is helpful right? These prevention programs often include the following components: balance training, strength training, agility drills and change of direction exercises.

References:

Bullock, G. S., Räisänen, A. M., Martin, C., Martin, M., Galarneau, J. M., Whittaker, J. L., Losciale, J. M., Bizzini, M., Bourne, M. N., Dijkstra, H. P., Dubé, M. O., Hayden, A., Girdwood, M., Hägglund, M., McLeod, S., Mkumbuzi, N. S., Mosler, A. B., Murphy, M. C., Myklebust, G., Møller, M., … Emery, C. (2025). Prevention strategies for lower extremity injury: a systematic review and meta-analyses for the Female, woman and/or girl Athlete Injury pRevention (FAIR) consensus. British journal of sports medicine, 59(22), 1575–1586. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2025-109910

Written by

Samuel Bulten

Exercise Physiologist | Masters in Medicine (Pain Management)

Director, Adapt Movement

Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personal medical advice. These blogs are written by Sam Bulten and represent his opinions and insights and are based on his experience and interpretation of the research. As Sam is a human, these opinions and insights are not absolute truths.