The contraceptive pill may be the answer for sports women who are prone to knee injuries, according to an Australian study.
The study results will be revealed during a pre-Olympic conference in Athens (the European Society for Sports Medicine, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy on May 5-8).
The joint study between CQU and a Rockhampton orthopaedic surgeon is looking at how to prevent Australia' s most common and costly sports injury, ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury, by manipulating blood oestrogen levels using the pill.
CQU biomechanist Adam Bryant, Orthopaedic Surgeon Associate Professor Erik Hohmann and visiting German medical student Elisabeth Eiling, of Kiel University have established a 'first in the world' link between oestrogen and musculotendinous stiffness (MTS) and knee laxity at the time when females are most predisposed to injury.
A CQU research study completed late last year proved the association between the hormone and injury in sports women.
Mr Bryant said the study's results should be seen as a warning to women to take precautions when considering participation in high-risk sports such as netball and basketball when their oestrogen levels are at their highest around ovulation.