Health en Pointe
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Blog
  • Contact
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

4/3/2019 1 Comment

The Female Athlete Triad - Are You At Risk?

Picture
The Female Athlete Triad is a condition that includes three components:
– Low bone density (risk for stress fractures and osteoporosis)
– Disordered eating
– Amenorrhea (no menstrual cycle for three months or more)
(Matzkin et al., 2015).

The consequences of the Female Athlete Triad can be long-term and irreversible, and include stunting of growth, reproductive dysfunction, and osteoporosis. Any female athlete is at risk for this syndrome, but women who participate in dance are more susceptible because of the desired lean aesthetic and rigorous training schedule (Barrack et al., 2014). Peak bone density is achieved between ages 18 to 25 years. Poor nutrition (i.e., insufficient calories, calcium and vitamin D), stress, and intense training lead to hormonal disruption during the peak-forming period. Reduced estrogen production leads to bone resorption, and this can occur despite the fact that load-bearing physical activity such as dance usually improves bone-mineral density. Some female athletes have bone density similar to older postmenopausal women, which is dangerously low. One study reported that 80% of female dancers diagnosed with stress fractures of the second metatarsal started their menstrual period late (O’Malley, 1996). This type of bony injury  requires at least 6-8 weeks to heal and even longer to rehab.

The remedy for Female Athlete Triad requires that energy needs be met consistently, either by modifying diet or reducing exercise. If body fat is inadequate, restoring body weight to a healthy level is the best strategy for normalizing menstrual periods and improving bone health.

References:
  1. Barrack, M. T., Gibbs, J. C., De Souza, M. J., Williams, N. I., Nichols, J. F., Rauh, M. J., & Nattiv, A. (2014). Higher Incidence of Bone Stress Injuries With Increasing Female Athlete Triad–Related Risk Factors: A Prospective Multisite Study of Exercising Girls and Women. The American journal of sports medicine, 42(4), 949-958.
  2. Little, M., Brown, K., Brown, A. F., & Meenan, M. (2017). Dancers' Risk for the Female Athlete Triad, Disordered Eating, and Changes in Triad Knowledge Following Educational Intervention. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 117(9), A85.
  3. Matzkin, E., Curry, E. J., & Whitlock, K. (2015). Female athlete triad: past, present, and future. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 23(7), 424-432.
  4. O’Malley, M., Hamilton, W, Munyak, J., DeFranco, B. (1996). Second Metatarsal Stress Fractures in Dancers. Foot and Ankle International, 17(2): 89-92 ​​
1 Comment

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All Cross Training Injury Prevention Nutrition Recipes Wellness

    Archives

    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018

      Follow Our Blog

    Submit
Proudly powered by Weebly