Hormonal
High estrogen levels during the ovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle decrease ligament stiffness by inhibiting lysyl oxidase activity, leading to increased knee laxity and a significantly higher risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Female athletes should be aware that their risk of ACL injury increases during the ovulatory phase of their menstrual cycle due to hormonal changes that loosen ligaments. While you cannot change your hormones, you can adjust training loads or focus on neuromuscular control exercises during this high-risk window to mitigate the increased laxity.
High estrogen levels can decrease power and performance and make women more prone for catastrophic ligament injury... estrogen decreases stiffness, and this directly affects performance and injury rates.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple human observational studies showing correlation between estrogen peaks and laxity/injury, plus mechanistic cell culture data.
Source
Effect of Estrogen on Musculoskeletal Performance and Injury Risk
Nkechinyere Chidi-Ogbolu et al. · Frontiers in Physiology · 2019
DOI 10.3389/fphys.2018.01834
More from this paper
- Oral contraceptives (OCs) that maintain stable, moderate estrogen levels reduce the cyclic fluctuation in knee laxity and are associated with a lower risk of ACL injury compared to women with natural menstrual cycles.Good
- Estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) in postmenopausal women improves muscle mass, strength, and power, and enhances the sensitivity of muscle to anabolic stimuli from exercise.Good
- High estrogen levels decrease tendon stiffness by inhibiting lysyl oxidase activity, which may protect muscles from eccentric injury but can negatively impact performance by reducing power output.Good
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