Body
Chicago Health magazine recently about reducing the risk of injury in women athletes, featuring Shirley Ryan Â鶹APP¡¯s Monica Rho, MD, vice president, chief of medical affairs and section chief of musculoskeletal medicine.
Dr. Rho also serves as the lead physician for the U.S. Women¡¯s National Soccer Team, and she shared insights with Chicago Health based on her deep expertise in sports medicine.
In the article, ¡°,¡± Dr. Rho said female athletes need to ¡°balance energy input with the output their sport requires¡± to avoid triggering common issues such as menstrual irregularity, low energy and decreased bone mineral density.
Dr. Rho further reinforced the need for balancing nutrition and energy, noting that female athletes¡¯ metabolic state can put them at risk for bone stress injuries, hormonal fluctuations and unhealthy weight loss.
¡°It¡¯s especially important for young girls to be aware of matching their energy intake to their expenditure because all women have a limited window where they build up their bone density,¡± Dr. Rho said in the article. ¡°Once they reach their 30s, it¡¯s hard to lay down more bone, and they start losing it. This is what eventually leads to osteopenia and osteoporosis.¡±
