Are there long-term affects of overuse injury?
We’re concerned about stress fractures in the back among skaters, dancers and gymnasts, who perform repeated extension moves. If not properly treated, a long-term problem with pain may develop. The biggest concern is the issue of the female athlete triad: irregular menstrual cycles, eating disorders and osteoporosis. It’s thought that abnormalities in hormone levels triggered by the physical stress of the activity, combined with inadequate caloric intake from eating disorders, put the body into survival mode, shutting down functions like reproduction, leading to amenorrhea. It’s not normal for a woman to lose or experience change in the pattern of her menstrual cycle from exercise. Prolonged amenorrhea leads to estrogen deficiency and possibly osteoporosis. What precautions can female athletes take? We need to give young athletes time to develop basic athletic and physical skills before we put them into a sport-specific activity. An athlete should get aerobic training so her stamina is
