Common sports injuries in girls’ sports.

A rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament, usually non-contact: a hard deceleration, a pivot, or a single-leg landing where the knee collapses inward.

Why it differs for female athletes

Adolescent girls sustain ACL injuries at several times the rate of boys in the same sports, driven by landing and cutting mechanics, a lower hamstring-to-quadriceps ratio, and neuromuscular changes across puberty.

Warning signs

A pop or shift at the moment of injury, rapid swelling within hours, and a knee that feels unstable when weight-bearing.

What lowers the risk

A structured neuromuscular warm-up two to three times a week, all season: hamstring and hip strength, single-leg balance, coached landings, and reactive agility.

When to see a clinician

Any suspected ACL injury needs same-week evaluation. Do not train through instability.

The most common injury across nearly every field and court sport — the foot rolls inward and the lateral ligaments are overstretched.

Why it differs for female athletes

Rates are broadly similar between sexes, but recurrence is common in both, and girls' teams often have less access to structured balance and return-to-play progressions.

Warning signs

Pain on the outside of the ankle, swelling, bruising, and difficulty pushing off.

What lowers the risk

Single-leg balance work, hop-and-stick landings, and a graded return after any prior sprain. Prior sprain is the strongest predictor of the next one.

When to see a clinician

Get imaging guidance if the athlete cannot bear weight or there is bony tenderness.

A brain injury from a direct blow or from forces transmitted through the head and neck. It does not require losing consciousness.

Why it differs for female athletes

Female athletes report concussions at higher rates in comparable sports and tend to report longer symptom duration; neck strength and reporting culture are both contributing factors.

Warning signs

Headache, fogginess, light or noise sensitivity, balance trouble, sleep changes, mood changes.

What lowers the risk

There is no warm-up that prevents concussion. What works is rule enforcement, technique coaching, neck strengthening, and above all a culture where reporting a hit is expected.

When to see a clinician

Remove from play immediately. Return only through a clinician-directed stepwise protocol.

Aching at the front of the knee, worst on stairs, after sitting, and during hills. Often called runner's knee.

Why it differs for female athletes

More frequently reported in adolescent girls, associated with hip control and rapid growth-phase changes in limb geometry.

Warning signs

Diffuse pain around or behind the kneecap that builds over weeks rather than appearing suddenly.

What lowers the risk

Hip abductor and quadriceps strength, gradual load increases, and attention to sudden changes in shoes, surfaces, or mileage.

When to see a clinician

See someone if pain persists past two to three weeks of load reduction.

A muscle tear during high-speed running, most often as the leg swings forward before foot strike.

Why it differs for female athletes

Absolute rates are lower than in men's sprint sports, but hamstring strength is the single most modifiable protector of the knee in girls' sports, so the training overlap matters.

Warning signs

A sudden grab or tearing sensation at the back of the thigh, sometimes with bruising over the next days.

What lowers the risk

Nordic hamstring lowers, single-leg Romanian deadlifts, and exposure to near-maximal running speed in training rather than only in matches.

When to see a clinician

Evaluate if there is a palpable gap, severe bruising, or an inability to walk normally.

Microdamage that accumulates faster than bone can repair — the tibia, metatarsals, and navicular are common sites.

Why it differs for female athletes

Strongly linked to low energy availability and menstrual dysfunction. This is the injury that most often reveals an underlying fueling problem.

Warning signs

Focal, pinpoint bone pain that worsens through activity and lingers at rest.

What lowers the risk

Adequate energy and calcium intake, load progression, sleep, and screening for missed periods rather than treating them as normal.

When to see a clinician

Suspected stress fracture needs imaging and a supervised return. Training through it lengthens the layoff.

Overhead-sport injuries — volleyball, softball, tennis, swimming — where the rotator cuff is compressed or the joint becomes excessively mobile.

Why it differs for female athletes

Greater baseline joint laxity in many female athletes makes control, rather than flexibility, the training priority.

Warning signs

Pain reaching overhead, night pain lying on the shoulder, or a sense of the shoulder slipping.

What lowers the risk

Rotator cuff and scapular strength, serve and hit volume caps, and off-season reduction in overhead reps.

When to see a clinician

Evaluate for repeated slipping, numbness, or weakness.

Diffuse pain along the inner shin from rapid increases in running volume or surface change.

Why it differs for female athletes

Common in track, soccer, and basketball preseasons, and often an early warning that load is climbing too fast.

Warning signs

Aching along a stretch of the shin — as opposed to a stress fracture's single tender point.

What lowers the risk

Ten-percent-style weekly load progressions, calf and foot strength, and rotating running surfaces.

When to see a clinician

If pain narrows to one pinpoint spot, treat it as a possible stress fracture and get it checked.

In still-growing athletes, the growth plate is often weaker than surrounding ligament — gymnastics and tumbling wrist injuries and heel apophysitis are typical.

Why it differs for female athletes

Growth-plate vulnerability peaks during the adolescent growth spurt, which arrives earlier in girls than boys.

Warning signs

Pain near a joint line in a growing athlete, worse with weight-bearing on the limb.

What lowers the risk

Sport diversification, capped repetitive-impact volume, and technique coaching during growth spurts.

When to see a clinician

Any persistent joint-line pain in a growing athlete warrants evaluation rather than rest alone.

Common in gymnastics, rowing, volleyball, and any sport with repeated extension or rotation under load.

Why it differs for female athletes

Frequently under-reported in adolescent athletes, who often normalize it as part of training.

Warning signs

Pain with extension or rotation, morning stiffness, or pain that radiates into the leg.

What lowers the risk

Trunk endurance rather than crunch volume, hip mobility, and technique review on repeated extension skills.

When to see a clinician

Radiating pain, numbness, or night pain should be evaluated promptly.