Injuries leap 35pc in women’s sport boom

THE popularity of women’s sport has led to a rise in injuries, according to BUPA.

There has been a 35 per cent rise in sport-related problems, the health insurance provider said.

Half of the top 24 injuries are activity-related, with shoulder, foot and knee injuries rising sharply. Slipped discs, lower back pain and leg pain have also risen.

Figures from Sport England show a 14 per cent rise in women playing sport once a week, up from 6.3million in 2005 to 7.2 million in 2016, with many inspired by highprofile sportswomen including Jessica Ennis-hill and Johanna Konta and recent successes enjoyed by the women’s football, hockey and cricket teams.

BUPA said women should take particular care to warm up and warm down and make sure strength and flexibility training – such as yoga – is included alongside cardiovascular exercise.

The difference in injury level is thought to be partly down to women’s bodies tending to have less muscle mass and more flexibility, including looser ligaments.

Women also have a wider pelvis, changing alignment of the ankle with the knee.

Irritation of the anterior cruciate ligament is much more often a problem for women than men, thought to be partly because the ligament travels through a smaller space in a woman’s knee.