Document Detail


The female athlete triad: an emerging role for physical therapy.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  14620789     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Over the last thirty years, participation by girls and women in organized athletics has increased dramatically. This presents unique challenges in the area of sports medicine, orthopaedics, and pediatrics. While the benefits of participation in sports and exercise vastly outweigh the risks of permanent injury, an evolving concern is the number of stress fractures in active women. The female athlete triad ("triad") describes the coexistence of 3 distinct medical conditions that may occur in athletic girls and women. Originally, the triad included eating disorders, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis. Presently, it includes eating disorders/disordered eating behavior, amenorrhea/oligomenorrhea, and decreased bone mineral density (osteoporosis and osteopenia). Briefly, when coupled with inadequate nutrition, the high caloric expenditure of exercise training resultsin a sustained negative caloric balance or low energy availability, which is exquisitely sensed by the hypothalamus, initiating a complex neuroendocrine adaptive cascade. This cascade is associated with changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, such that estrogen levels are decreased, resulting in reproductive dysfunction that may include amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, or anovulation. Low estrogen in otherwise young healthy women, like menopause, is associated with decreased bone mineral density and increased risk of fractures. The triad is not an inevitable consequence of participation in sports or physical activity at any level, however, exercise may contribute to the disruption of caloric balance. The triad is a complex disorder that requires intervention by a multidisciplinary team. Physical therapists bring a unique expertise to the team. The present review summarizes each component of the triad, component linkage, and the role of physical therapy in prevention, assessment, and intervention.
Authors:
Paula E Papanek
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Review    
Journal Detail:
Title:  The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy     Volume:  33     ISSN:  0190-6011     ISO Abbreviation:  J Orthop Sports Phys Ther     Publication Date:  2003 Oct 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2003-11-17     Completed Date:  2004-03-15     Revised Date:  2005-11-16    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  7908150     Medline TA:  J Orthop Sports Phys Ther     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  594-614     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Physical Therapy, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881, USA. ppapanek@mu.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adolescent
Adult
Amenorrhea / complications*,  diagnosis,  physiopathology,  therapy
Body Composition / physiology
Bone Density / physiology
Eating Disorders / complications*,  diagnosis,  physiopathology,  therapy
Energy Intake / physiology
Estrogens / deficiency
Exercise / physiology
Female
Humans
Osteoporosis / complications*,  diagnosis,  physiopathology,  therapy
Physical Therapy (Specialty)*
Professional Role
Sports*
Sports Medicine / methods
Water-Electrolyte Balance / physiology
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Estrogens

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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