On today’s episode I am delighted to be joined by Elisa Nédélec, a PhD student at Nottingham Trent University who is investigating the potential impact of reproductive hormones on the incidence of non-contact ACL injuries in female athletes. Elisa completed her Masters in Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation in Belgium and worked for eight years as a sports physiotherapist, specialised in orthopaedics, traumatology, and global postural rehabilitation. Her research interests include female physiology in sport and exercise, sport injury primary and secondary prevention, and the potential a pluri-disciplinary team has for ensuring a more equal practice of sports for girls and women’.

Generally, injury risk is largely sport specific, but there are differences between males and females. Specifically, research indicates that women are up to 3-6 times more likely to sustain an ACL injury when compared to men. Therefore this episode is here to shine a light on female-specific injuries in sport and exercise as we discuss the risks and what to be aware of in terms of ACL injuries, including how the menstrual cycle and oral contraceptive use might affect injury risk and injuries before highlighting what we can potential do to minimise these risks as female athletes and those working with them.

If you enjoyed listening to this episode, please leave a rating and review, and please share with your teammates, coaches, friends, and family!

Resources: Elisa Nédélec: Twitter: @ElisaNedelec

Additional resources: FAIR-ACL Project: Twitter: @fairaclproject | https://fairaclproject.isrg.org.uk/

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