If a professional athlete dislocates a joint or tears a ligament, it makes the news. But anyone who plays sports can be injured. Three groups-children and adolescents, middle-aged athletes, and women-are particularly vulnerable. Contact sports have inherent dangers that put young athletes at special risk for severe injuries. Even with rigorous training and proper safety equipment, risk for severe injuries to the neck, spinal cord, and growth plates. Basketball topped the list of sports-related injuries, followed by cycling, football, soccer, and a few other sports.
             Basketball is now the leading cause of sports-related injuries in the U.S., "due in large part to a surge in knee injuries" among women athletes, according to an Illinois sports medicine specialist. Because of anatomical differences between the sexes, women are at greater risk of serious knee injury than men. Fortunately, the risk of knee injuries can be reduced by teaching athletes to change how they move on the court. The blame on basketball injuries has been traced back to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which is the major stabilizer of the knee. The ACL can be injured when an athlete pivots or changes direction rapidly, lands from a jump or slows down from running. Females are two to eight times more likely to experience an ACL injury. Due to the anatomical differences, particularly in the shape of the pelvis, females tend to land differently than male athletes do. While male athletes most often land with their knees in a bent position protecting the knees from injury female athletes tend to land with their knees locked. Several programs have been developed to teach female athletes how to land properly after a jump so they are less likely to hurt their knees. Female athletes can also be taught to improve their ability to sense the position of their body while they are moving, which may reduce the risk of knee injury. The only other injury that seems to ...