Among the more prominent effects of Title IX -- a law passed by Congress nearly 40 years ago that ensures boys and girls receive equal treatment in all educational programs that receive federal funding -- was the way it revolutionized athletic programs for young American women.

Despite considerable progress on some fronts, when it comes to the health of female athletes, unfortunately, those glass ceilings remain intact, says Dr. Vicki Harber, a Canadian exercise physiologist who has developed The Female Athlete Perspective, a guide for parents, athletic administrators and coaches that addresses medical issues that affect the participation of women in sports.

To that end, Harber discovered female athletes often experience far greater rates of specific musculoskeletal injuries -- knee and shoulder issues plus an increased risk of re-injury -- and medical conditions -- osteoporosis, eating disorders and amenorrhea -- than do their male counterparts.

The difference in the number of injuries between young men and women can be as great as sixfold, according to the report, because countless training programs for female athletes are based on research using young adult males which doesn't take the biological differences between the sexes into account.

And that may largely explain why my injury-prone daughter never progressed as a competitive swimmer much beyond her middle school years too...

EurekAlert January 25, 2010 Free Full PDF Report