Identification or risk factors and preventative strategies for musculoskeletal injuries in females

About the Project

Female sport has grown rapidly in professionalism and visibility, with increasing access to high‑quality coaching, sport science, and sports medicine support. Despite these advances, musculoskeletal injuries in females continue to occur at disproportionately high rates across a range of sports and physical activities. Previous research has highlighted significant sex‑based differences in injury prevalence and risk factors. For example, females have been shown to be up to eight times more likely to sustain certain lower‑limb injuries than males, such as ACL tears, due to a combination of biomechanical, hormonal, anatomical, and neuromuscular factors (Silvers‑Granelli, 2021). While knee injuries remain a well‑studied concern, emerging evidence suggests that females are also at elevated risk of musculoskeletal injuries affecting other regions of the body, including the ankle, hip, lumbar spine, and upper limb, yet these areas remain comparatively understudied.

The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has identified systematic gender inequalities in sports research, noting that many current injury management practices are built on studies predominantly involving male participants. This contributes to prevention and rehabilitation strategies that are not always well‑aligned with the needs of female athletes. Furthermore, there is growing recognition that improving injury outcomes requires better integration of contemporary research into real‑world practice. However, evidence indicates that implementation remains inconsistent, and that practitioner engagement with research can be challenging (Yoong et al., 2023).

This PhD project aims to address the substantial research gap surrounding musculoskeletal injury risk and prevention strategies in female populations. Candidates may choose to focus on a specific region of the body, a particular sport or activity, comparative injury patterns across body regions, or broader systemic issues influencing injury risk. Equally important is the exploration of adoption, implementation, and sustainability of prevention strategies within applied environments to ensure genuine impact on practice.

References:

Silvers-Granelli, H. (2021) ‘Why female athletes injure their ACL’s more frequently? What can we do to mitigate their risk?’, International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 16(4), pp. 971–977. doi: 10.26603/001c.25467.

Yoong, S. L. et al. (2023) ‘Describing the evidence-base for research engagement by health care providers and health care organisations: a scoping review’, BMC Health Services Research, 23(1), pp. 1–20. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08887-2.

Supervisory team

• Director of Studies:Dr Christopher Holland
• Supervisors: Dr Darren Cooper, Dr Kostas Papadopoulos (TBC) Dr Alejandro Vaquera
• Research Group:Human Performance Research Group