The Female Athlete Triad. a Clinical Guide

Description

This is the first book of its kind to focus solely on the female athlete triad - its origins, its recognition, and most importantly, its management. Since the symptoms themselves cover a range of medical specialties, chapters are written by experts in a number of relevant fields - sports medicine, orthopedics, endocrinology, and pediatrics - with an eye toward overall care of the young female athlete. Additionally, each chapter includes suggestions on how to educate and communicate with young athletes and their parents, as well as trainers and coaches, on how to manage the illness outside of the direct clinical setting.

The female athlete triad isoften seen in sports where low body weight is emphasized, suchas gymnastics, figure skating, and running, though it can appear in any sport or activity.The interrelated symptoms - eating disorders, amenorrhea, and low bone mass -exist on a spectrum of severity and areserious and potentially life-threatening if notproperly treated. Psychological problems, in addition to medical ones, arenot uncommon. The Female Athlete Triad: A Clinical Guide discusses all of these areas for a well-rounded and in-depth approach to the phenomenon and will be a useful reference for any clinician working with female athletes across the lifespan.

Table of Contents

Definition and Epidemiology of the Female Athlete Triad.- Sports Nutrition.- The Menstrual Cycle.- Exercise and the Female Skeleton.- Assessment of Bone Health in the Young Athlete.- Neuroendocrine Abnormalities in Female Athletes.- Eating Disorders.- Stress Fractures.- Female Athlete Triad: Rehabilitation and Psychological Implications.- Strategies to Promote Bone Health in Female Athletes.- Future Directions and Research Agenda.

Authors

Catherine M. Gordon, MD, MSc, Director, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Hasbro Children's Hospital, Professor of Pediatrics, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

Meryl LeBoff, MD, Director, Skeletal Health and Osteoporosis Center, Director, Bone Density Unit, Chief, Calcium and Bone Section, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Distinguished Chair in Skeletal Health and Osteoporosis, Endocrine, Diabetes and Hypertension Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), Boston, MA, USA