FIFA is providing funding for an academic study to be conducted at Kingston University. The research aims to investigate a potential correlation between the menstrual cycle and the occurrence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in women`s football, which are notably more common than in the men`s game.
Several prominent female players have recently suffered ACL injuries, including Vivianne Miedema, Beth Mead, and Sam Kerr, who has been sidelined from the Chelsea squad for a significant period.
According to Simon Augustus, a senior lecturer in sport biomechanics involved in the study, “We want to examine whether athletes may be more predisposed to injuries because of the functional changes in terms of their anatomy and physiology during the menstrual cycle.” He further explained, “We know hormones fluctuate during different phases of the cycle, but we don’t yet know how much of an influence that may have on the risk of injury.”
The primary objective of this project, which is part of the FIFA Research Scholarship program, is to contribute to reducing injury risks by adapting training strategies to better suit individual athletes` physiological states. The study is scheduled to last for a year, beginning in June. Experts from Kingston University will be collaborating with football clubs in South West London, including Chelsea and Fulham. Athletes participating in the research will attend the university campus regularly for blood analysis and physical performance evaluations.
Researchers plan to analyze hormone concentrations in the blood samples, with a particular focus on female-specific hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. These hormones have been previously linked to factors potentially increasing injury risk, including heightened ligament laxity (resulting in joints being more flexible than typical) and slower neuromuscular reaction times (referring to the speed at which the nervous system processes a stimulus and initiates a muscular response).
The hormone data will be cross-referenced with the players` physical performance metrics to determine if a correlation exists between risk factors for ACL injuries and the specific phase an athlete is in during her menstrual cycle. This research component will also involve analyzing the most common mechanisms by which athletes sustain ACL injuries.
The research endeavor will be spearheaded by PhD student Blake Rivers. He will work alongside Simon Augustus, as well as James Brouner and Michelle Richards, who are experts in sports and exercise science based at Kingston University.
Augustus acknowledged that certain injuries, such as those resulting from severe tackles, are inherently unavoidable. However, he stated, “But we’re attempting to help those individuals who injure their ACL outside of impact actions – those are the ones where we might have more chance to intervene and prevent them from taking place by utilizing strength training or tweaking technique.”
