Talia Adrian J, Busuttil Nicholas A, Hotchen Andrew, Kendal Adrian R, Brown Rick
Department of Foot & Ankle Surgery, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Institute for Health & Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Orthop J Sports Med. 2025 Sep 10;13(9):23259671251364261. doi: 10.1177/23259671251364261. eCollection 2025 Sep.
Female sports participation is at an all-time high, from amateur to professional levels. There has been recent media and scientific focus on the higher rates of injury to the anterior cruciate ligament and head injuries in female athletes compared with male athletes. A similar association has not been emphasized in the foot and ankle. Hence, this research aims to establish the rate of foot and ankle injury at the professional level in female athletes compared with their male counterparts.
PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to understand the rate of foot and ankle injuries in professional and semiprofessional athletes. It was hypothesized that female athletes are injured at higher rates compared with their male counterparts.
Systematic review; Level of evidence, 3.
A systematic review was conducted using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. PubMed, Ovid EMBASE, and Ovid MEDLINE were searched for relevant papers up until October 23, 2023. Papers reporting on rates of foot and ankle injuries in female professional or semiprofessional athletes were included, along with a male comparison group. A total of 2510 papers were screened. A meta-analysis was performed on 4 separate subgroups using common and random-effects models.
A total of 53 papers met the inclusion criteria, and a meta-analysis of proportions was performed. Of this total, 21 records reported absolute elite athlete numbers and 32 reported athletic exposures. Meta-analyses were performed on these 2 subgroups separately. The literature was found to have a high risk of bias. The rate of injuries to the foot and ankle in female athletes was higher than their male counterparts overall (log odds ratio). Professional female athletes had significantly more injuries compared with their male counterparts using a common-effects model (odds ratio, 1.52 [1.44-1.61]) Chi-square testing demonstrated significant heterogeneity.
This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that female athletes suffer foot and ankle injuries at professional and semiprofessional competition levels at higher rates than their male counterparts. The literature on this topic is limited to large observational studies with significant risk of bias and heterogeneity. The current research provided an understanding of the significant effects of foot and ankle injury rates, detailing the increased exposures that are present in female semiprofessional and elite sports.
从业余到职业水平，女性参与体育运动的人数空前高涨。最近，媒体和科学界关注到女性运动员与男性运动员相比，前交叉韧带损伤和头部损伤的发生率更高。而在足踝方面，类似的关联尚未得到重视。因此，本研究旨在确定职业水平的女性运动员与男性运动员相比，足踝损伤的发生率。
目的/假设：本研究的目的是了解职业和半职业运动员的足踝损伤发生率。研究假设是，与男性运动员相比，女性运动员的受伤率更高。
系统评价；证据等级为3级。
按照PRISMA（系统评价和Meta分析的首选报告项目）指南进行系统评价。截至2023年10月23日，在PubMed、Ovid EMBASE和Ovid MEDLINE中检索相关论文。纳入报告女性职业或半职业运动员足踝损伤发生率的论文，以及一个男性对照组。共筛选了2510篇论文。使用固定效应模型和随机效应模型对4个独立亚组进行Meta分析。
共有53篇论文符合纳入标准，并进行了比例Meta分析。其中，21条记录报告了绝对精英运动员数量，32条记录报告了运动暴露量。对这两个亚组分别进行Meta分析。发现文献存在较高的偏倚风险。总体而言，女性运动员足踝损伤的发生率高于男性运动员（对数比值比）。使用固定效应模型，职业女性运动员与男性运动员相比，损伤明显更多（比值比，1.52[1.44 - 1.61]）。卡方检验显示存在显著异质性。
本系统评价和Meta分析表明，在职业和半职业比赛水平上，女性运动员足踝损伤的发生率高于男性运动员。关于这一主题的文献仅限于大型观察性研究，存在显著的偏倚和异质性风险。本研究提供了对足踝损伤发生率显著影响的理解，详细说明了女性半职业和精英运动中增加的暴露情况。
