Movement science researchers at Scottish Rite for Children received a $1 million grant from Lyda Hill Philanthropies to fund, in part, a project that will tackle why teen girls tear their anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs) far more often than others, and it turns out the menstrual cycle may play a big role. Early results show that hormone shifts throughout the cycle can make ligaments looser or muscles less flexible, which can seriously raise the risk of injury.
To help prevent this, athletes are engaging in training sessions that sync with their cycles, while researchers use high-tech motion capture tracking to spot risky movement patterns. The aim is to create smarter injury-prevention and rehab programs and eventually bring this approach to schools across the country.
