5 things Canyon Performance Training does differently for young female athletes to reduce injury risk and improve sports performance

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Young female athletes are 4 to 6 times more likely to suffer catastrophic knee injuries than their same-sport male counterparts¹.  There are many factors thought to contribute to the higher injury rate including: The way girls land after jumping, over development of the quadriceps as compared to the hamstring, and less lateral stability through the legs.  By understanding and addressing these factors Canyon Performance coaches reduce risk of injury by up to 50% in female athletes and increase sports performance without increasing muscle size or creating “bulk.” 

1. Teaching proper landing strategy: When landing after a jump, girls are less likely to properly flex at the knee and hip².  This poor landing strategy can lead to a tear to the Anterior Cruciate Ligament.  When working with girls we start with small jumping motions and teach them how to land with proper knee and hip flexion and increase to bigger and higher motions.  This technique can also lead to increased vertical jump height.  As the body develops the habit of bending properly at the hips and knees the athlete is better able to load and reload for a more explosive jumping motion.

2. By default girls tend to have highly disproportionate quadriceps to hamstring strength ratios².  The quadriceps are so dominant they can start to “overpower” the hamstring and gluteus maximus muscles making the athlete more susceptible to knee and ankle injuries.  We include hamstring and “Glute” specific exercises in all of our strength programs for girls.  These exercises strengthen and re-teach the muscles to fire in proper sequence.  By doing this, over time, the strength ratios decrease and the hamstrings and “glutes” start firing properly increasing lower body explosive power.

3. Canyon checks each female athlete for an “Anterior Pelvic Tilt.”  Anterior Pelvic Tilt, or APT simply means the front of the pelvis sits lower than the back of the pelvis. An easy way to check is to observe the front of the waistband vs the back of the waistband when the athlete is standing tall.  If the front of the waistband is lower than the back, there is APT.  The APT can indicate tightness in the hips and weakness in the Core and “glute” muscles and decrease overall stability in the hip complex.  Strengthening the Core and Glutes and stretching the front of the hips can help correct the tilt and may lead to less lower back and hip pain.  This also has the added benefit of increasing the athletes overall balance and power.
   

4. Female athletes tend to have less lateral hip, knee and ankle stability³.  During the single leg squat we can see if there is excessive lateral hip translation (hip sticks out to the side) or internal knee rotation, or valgus and a lack of hip and knee stability.  By doing corrective exercises to strengthen the hips laterally we can help reduce the chance for ACL injury and increase lower-limb power by achieving proper alignment.
   

5. Finally, Canyon evaluates all female athletes for ankle eversion and weak arches.  By increasing stability in the ankle we can help avoid ankle sprains and by strengthening the arch we can help reduce the occurrences and severity of shin splints.  Often times athletes are asked to play through minor ankle sprains and shin splints.  By helping to reduce the occurrences and severity of these injuries we can keep athletes performing at a high level through the duration of the season.

Tom Dueber is the founding partner and a strength and conditioning coach specializing in programs for adolescent athletes at Canyon Performance Training.

1. E.A. Arendt,J.Agel,R.Dick,Anterior cruciate ligament injury patterns among collegiate men and women ,J.Athl.Train.34(1999)86–92.

2. T.E.Hewett,K.R.Ford,B.J.Hoogenboom,G.D.Myer,Understandingand preventingACLinjuries:considerations – update 2010,NorthAm.J.Sports Phys.Ther.5(2010)234–251.

3. T.E. Hewett, G.D. Myer, Biomechanical Measures of Neuromuscular Control and Valgus Loading of the Knee Predict Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Risk in Female Athletes Am J Sports Med 2005 33: 492