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Yale Medicine, the clinical practice of Yale University’s School of Medicine, and Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital have officially launched the Female+ Athlete Program to address the specific health needs and injuries of women athletes. Created in October 2024, the program intends to research, treat and prevent the common injuries that disproportionately affect girls and young women in sports, including anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, ankle sprains, knee injuries, concussions and stress fractures.
Historically, women have been underrepresented in sports medicine research, with data showing that 80% of studies on musculoskeletal injuries predominantly involve male participants. In strength and conditioning research, only 6% is based on women, and in 2020, less than 6% of sport science studies focused exclusively on female athletes. Additionally, hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle can also play a role in injury susceptibility. This lack of research has led to significant gaps in understanding how injuries impact women.
To combat this disparity, the Female+ Athlete Program takes a comprehensive approach to care, investigating why specific injuries happen more frequently with women, as well as addressing the impact on their mental and emotional wellbeing. The program serves girls and young women up to their early 20s, combining the expertise of athletic trainers, nurses, pediatric orthopedic surgeons, primary care sports medicine specialists, adolescent medicine practitioners, those focused on care for women and girls in team sports and psychologists. It provides individualized care with a focus on building strength and educating athletes on optimal technique for their sport to reduce the risk of injury, as well as state-of-the-art care for injured athletes.
“Our program is specifically designed to consider the biological and physiological differences between male and women athletes,” said Dr. Corinna Franklin, pediatric orthopedic surgeon and director of the Female+ Athlete Program. “For example, studies on male football players cannot be applied to women volleyball players. Women athletes have different injury risks and their needs require a tailored approach.”
The program not only treats injuries but also works proactively on injury prevention, particularly for ACL tears. The Journal of Athletic Training found that female athletes are two to eight times more likely to sustain an ACL injury as compared to male athletes. Dr. Franklin explains that anatomical differences, such as wider hips, can place additional stress on the knee, increasing the risk of ACL tears. She emphasizes that proper strength training, stability exercises and landing mechanics can prevent such injuries.
In addition to ACL injuries, women athletes are more prone to stress fractures and concussions than their male counterparts in certain sports. The team therefore also focuses on identifying early signs of stress fractures and addressing them before they develop into more serious problems.
Psychological support is a key program component. Injuries, especially those requiring long recovery times like ACL tears, can take a significant emotional toll on athletes. Dr. Franklin highlights the challenges of balancing rehabilitation with schoolwork and the emotional impact of missing multiple seasons. The program’s psychologist provides one-on-one therapy to help athletes cope with these challenges, addressing issues such as performance anxiety, body image and the loss of identity when sidelined from sports.
The introduction of the Female+ Athlete Program intends to be a significant step forward in addressing the gender-specific health needs of women athletes. It seeks to provide evidence-based, women-focused care for young women in sports so that they can excel on and off the field.
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