What Is The Most Common Bone Problem In Young, Female Athletes?

Dr. Dugan discusses bone problems among young, female athletes.

Dr. Dugan:
That’s a really good question. I would say in young female athletes, my biggest worry is something called a stress fracture where you actually overwhelm the body’s ability to keep up with the wear and tear to your bone, and your bone starts to break down.

And I think nowadays, we see a lot of single sport athletes and they probably do one sport throughout the whole year, and they probably repetitively use the same muscles, the same bones. So I think that exercising throughout the year or playing sports throughout the year is great, but you may not want to stick with just one sport. You may want to make sure that you vary and do different types of sports.

About Dr. Dugan, M.D.:
Dr. Sheila A. Dugan, M.D., is Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Rush Medical College, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois. She is a faculty member of the Department of Neurosurgery and the Department of Preventive Medicine. She is co-medical director of the Rush Program for Abdominal and Pelvic Health.

Dr. Dugan is multi board-certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation, electrodiagnostic medicine and pain medicine. She is highly skilled in neurological and sports-related rehabilitation. Prior to medical school, she received her physical therapy degree from Northwestern University in 1986. She's currently pursuing development of a program focused on women's musculoskeletal care, including both their medical and rehabilitation needs.