Most injuries that occur in sport are sports-specific rather
than sex-specific. Injuries to female athletes occur mainly
in practice and are thought to be due to improper training,
inadequate facilities and poor coaching. In basketball and
soccer it is reported that females have a 3-5 times
increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament knee injuries
compared to males . This is thought to be due to
anatomical differences (knee hyperextension and a smaller
notch for the anterior cruciate to fit in to) as well as the
failure in developing basic coordination skills at early ages.
However a further study found very little difference in the
pattern of injury between men and women competing in
comparable sports . Female athletes can help decrease
their chance of injury by increasing their muscle strength
and coordination through appropriate resistance/strength
and agility training.