London injury clinic Isokinetic is to expand its dedicated programme specialising in the prevention and treatment of ACL and other injuries in women athletes.
The move comes amid the release of a major new peer-reviewed study in the journal of Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology and Arthroscopy co-authored by Jan Ekstrand, Linkoping University, Sweden, the Football Research Group, Sweden, and Isokinetic Medical Group, London.
The research looked specifically at hamstring injuries in professional female footballers across Europe and measured twenty-one different risk factors over the 2020/2021 season.
It concluded that “most risk factors for hamstring injuries are extrinsic in nature and associated with the club, the team, and the coaching staff, and not the players themselves.”
The report cited lack of regular exposure to high-speed football actions during training; playing matches two to three times per week; load on players; and lack of communication between medical staff and coaching staff.
Dr Jesus Olmo, Isokinetic Sports Doctor and Former Real Madrid CF Medical Director, said:
“It is essential that as women compete in football in highly competitive and elite levels that we provide an infrastructure that is going to support them.
“We believe that prevention is key and it is crucial to assess players before they experience injury to better understand their unique movement patterns and strategise optimised ways of movement that will keep the individual healthy for longer.
“We are excited to bring globally recognised and technology advanced medical pathways to women athletes in the UK and Europe.”
The women’s injury programme is based in a technologically advanced, doctor-led environment.
Each patient journey starts with a doctor-led pathway beginning with a consultation with an expert sport science doctor who oversees ongoing treatment.
The unique pathway is meticulously tailored to patient recovery.
From welcome reception, appointment making, and treatment, everything is geared to the individual patient whether treating an elite athlete preparing for competition or a person experiencing a degenerative condition like osteoarthritis.
Isokinetic are organisers of the Isokinetic Football Conference, taking place on May 27-29, 2023.
