The majority of research on sport-related concussions is conducted on male athletes. The paucity of research focused on female athletes creates a challenge in developing protocols for prevention and treatment of female athletes with concussions. This paper reviews the current epidemiology, injury mechanisms and treatment of concussions in female athletes. Theories on sex-based differences in sport-related concussions are presented. Areas for future research are also reviewed.
Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) is a syndrome caused by low energy availability that has significant physiological consequences. Bone stress injuries (BSIs), including stress fractures, are overuse injuries that occur when there is an imbalance of bone microdamage and its removal and replacement via bone remodeling. Female athletes are at particular risk of RED-S, which can manifest as bone stress injury, as well as associated pathologies including disordered eating and oligomenorrhea/amenorrhea. Female athletes should be screened for risk factors for RED-S so that it can be identified and treated early. BSIs can be diagnosed by patient history and physical examination, with imaging used for confirmation. Management of BSIs differ according to their location, with high-risk injuries requiring a highly nuanced treatment approach in the context of shared decision-making. These athletes should also be concurrently evaluated for low energy availability, which if identified may require addressing disordered eating, hormone deficiency, and inadequate nutrition with an interdisciplinary team. Return to sport decisions should be individualized while informed by published guidelines.
Female athletes are at a greater risk of knee injuries than males, which has been attributed to anatomic, biologic, and kinematic risk factors. Knee conditions such as anterior cruciate ligament tears and patellofemoral disorders are more commonly reported in females. There exist sex-specific differences in anatomy that may influence assessment and surgical treatment of knee injuries, such as intercondylar width in the case of ACL injuries and different numerical thresholds for defining trochlear dysplasia in patellar instability. In addition, female athletes may benefit from targeted rehabilitation and injury prevention programs that focus on sex-specific kinetic training to optimize dynamic muscular control, motion pattern techniques, and fatiguability. Postoperative rehabilitation with a specific focus on minimizing kinesiophobia and addressing psychological readiness for return to sport during rehabilitation may increase rates of return to play in female athletes followinginjury. Rates of return to play at the same competitive level following knee injuries are currently reported to be generally similar between male and female athletes, however, the types of sports in which female athletes participate continue to evolve. Continued research is needed to understand sex-specific considerations in the evaluation and treatment of knee injuries in this evolving population.

