I enjoyed reading Laura Ramus insight especially the male versus female and to protecting the knees. We wonder why getting the player to flex the knee with the lead foot to throw or when it comes to hitting seems foreign to them...it is how they are built and as she points out they must be taught how to do that and because of how males are built that they fire the gluteus muscles differently than the males, "
With females, the gluteus muscles don't fire before or after landing, so the hips rotate in, the knees buckle inward, and the ACL is stressed."
"Females have wider hips than males, which increase the angle on the knee joint. This increases stress on the ACL, especially during landing and cutting movements."
"Females also have a narrower notch in the inside of the knee. Since it is narrower in females, the ACL may get pinched or frayed during cutting, increasing the risk of tear."
"In general, the quadriceps of females are stronger than their hamstrings, putting the ACL at an even higher risk. In males, the hamstrings are stronger, thus protecting the ACL."
Source: David Marshal, M.D .Medical Director, Sports Medicine Program Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
I think her site and articles are at least worth visiting so you know why some of the issues with the ACL and balance issues exist and are different with male versus female. We talked a lot about these issues at the clinic so some of the parents would understand why their girls were getting hurt and Crystl went into a lot of detail about the imbalances of the quad to ham string and the issues she has had with those muscles in her career.
