Stress fractures, strains and sprains are common injuries often talked about in the running world, but no one seems to be mentioning a bigger problem, one related to other common injuries, and one that could have lifelong consequences. Menstrual irregularities may be more common and more serious than most runners realize
My name is Jennifer Malcolm and I, along with Chris Mehallo, D.O. and Ryan Savitz, are researching the subject of Menstrual Irregularities in high school cross country runners. From the winter of 1996 until spring of 2000 I ran Pa. District 1 cross country and track for Villa Maria Academy. Mr. Genther and Mr. Henderson coached our team through an undefeated four years in the SCCL league and introduced me to my love and passion for running. I went on to run at Bucknell University, a division I program, first under Coach Gulden and then three years under Coach Donnor. Despite my troubles with injuries throughout my competitive running career I was able to be a part of many championships, broke a few high school records and was thrilled to serve as a captain for two years at Villa and another two years at Bucknell. Now, I am entering my third year at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine to pursue a career in Family Practice/Sports Medicine.
Many of you may be aware of such issues as amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea and the female athlete triad, but I suspect that to many female high school athletes this is a foreign language. You see, amenorrhea is the absence of menses (your period) and can be caused by strenuous exercise. Oligomennorhea is scant or little menses and is also associated with the hormone changes that occur in female runners. An absent period can furthermore be associated with other conditions experienced by many high school athletes. One study shows that 49 percent of amenorrheic runners had stress fractures. The constant weight bearing exercise involved with running along with hormone imbalances associated with missed menstruation may be increasing your chances of getting stress fractures. It?s true that adequate calcium, vitamin D and the right shoes are extremely important in stress fracture prevention, but don?t forget about underlying issues - the ones no one has been talking about - menstrual irregularities.
These problems may also be linked to a third problem common amongst female distance runners. I?m talking about disordered eating. Anorexia and bulimia are common in sports which have a ?thin ideal body image." Not everyone who has an eating disorder starves themselves or induces vomiting, the most commonly accepted definitions of these disorders. Instead, an eating disorder may be associated with vigorous exercise in order to prevent weight gain. Together, menstrual dysfunctions, osteoporosis and disordered eating make up the female athlete triad. Athletes may look ?normal? for their sport and still have one, two or all three of these conditions.
Our research study is designed to determine the incidence of menstrual irregularities in high school cross country runners and to assess the adequacy of screening for these problems. It is a volunteer study involving an online questionnaire. The study is strictly confidential and will not require athletes to indicate their name or school. The initial survey takes no more than 15 minutes. Athletes are then asked to keep an online menstrual log during the 2006 fall cross country season. The log requires less than five minutes of your time each month.
If you or your team is interested in participating in this study or you have any questions, please contact me at: jennifermal@pcom.edu or Dr. Mehallo at cmehallo@comcast.net. Be sure to indicate in the e-mail subject that it regards this research.
Thank you for your interest and look or more information about menstrual irregularities and a link to our online survey in the future.