Here's something nobody warns you about when your daughter starts playing sports: her body is going to change a lot over the next few years. Growth spurts, shifting proportions, muscles and bones that are all growing at slightly different speeds. It's a lot for a body to manage while also being asked to sprint, jump, pivot, and compete.
That's not a reason to panic. But it is a reason to pay attention.
Girls going through puberty are more vulnerable to certain injuries, especially the overuse kind that sneak up slowly and then sideline them for weeks (or longer). The good news? Most of these injuries are preventable. You just have to know what to watch for and how to stay ahead of it.
Why Girls Are More Prone to Certain Injuries
Let's get the science out of the way quickly.
During puberty, girls experience rapid changes in muscle, bone, and connective tissue. Everything's growing, but not always at the same rate. That mismatch can create stress points in the body. Add in repetitive movements from sports (kicking, jumping, pivoting), and you've got a recipe for overuse injuries.
This isn't about girls being fragile. It's about understanding what their bodies are going through so we can support them properly.
The Injuries to Watch For
Runner's Knee (Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome)
This one's common in sports with lots of running and jumping (think basketball, volleyball, soccer, track). It happens when the kneecap doesn't track smoothly against the thigh bone, causing pain around or behind the knee. Your daughter might complain that her knee hurts after practice, especially when going up stairs or sitting for a long time.
Stress Fractures
These are tiny cracks in the bone caused by repetitive impact. They're sneaky because they often start as a dull ache that's easy to ignore. Girls in running and jumping sports are especially at risk, particularly in the lower leg and foot. If your daughter mentions pain that gets worse with activity and better with rest, don't brush it off.
ACL Injuries
The ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) connects the thigh bone to the shin bone and helps stabilize the knee. Sports that involve a lot of cutting, pivoting, and sudden direction changes (soccer, basketball, gymnastics) put stress on this ligament. Girls are actually at higher risk for ACL tears than boys, partly due to differences in anatomy and movement patterns. These injuries can be serious and sometimes require surgery, so prevention is key.
How to Stay Ahead of Injuries
The good news: you don't need a medical degree to help protect your daughter. Here's what actually works.
Prioritize Rest and Recovery
This is the big one. Overuse injuries happen when the body doesn't get enough time to repair itself between activities. If your daughter plays multiple sports or has back-to-back seasons with no break, she's at higher risk.
Build rest days into the schedule. Protect them. And if she's complaining about persistent pain, take it seriously. Pushing through is how small problems become big ones.
Emphasize Proper Technique
A lot of injuries come down to mechanics. How she lands from a jump. How she decelerates when changing direction. How she plants her foot when pivoting.
Good coaches will drill proper form, but it's worth reinforcing at home too. Warm-ups and dynamic stretching before practice aren't optional extras. They're injury prevention.
Invest in the Right Gear
Shoes matter more than you might think. Proper footwear with good support and cushioning can reduce the risk of stress fractures and other impact injuries. Make sure her shoes are sport-appropriate and actually fit (growing feet need regular check-ins).
For high-contact or high-impact sports, protective gear like knee pads or braces can add an extra layer of protection.
Strengthen What Supports Her
Strength training (age-appropriate, of course) can make a real difference, especially for injury-prone areas like the knees and hips. Programs that focus on core stability, hip strength, and landing mechanics have been shown to significantly reduce ACL injury risk in girls.
Ask her coach or a sports trainer about neuromuscular training programs. They're specifically designed to teach athletes how to move in ways that protect their joints.
Keep the Long Game in Mind
It's easy to get caught up in this season, this tournament, this game. But your daughter's athletic career (and her long-term health) depends on taking care of her body now.
An injury that sidelines her for a few weeks is frustrating. An injury that becomes chronic because it wasn't addressed properly? That's a different story.
Listen to her when she says something hurts. Encourage rest even when the schedule feels relentless. Remind her (and yourself) that taking care of her body isn't weakness. It's what allows her to keep playing the sport she loves.
The Bottom Line
Girls' bodies go through a lot during puberty, and sports add another layer of physical demand. That combination makes injury prevention extra important.
The goal isn't to wrap her in bubble wrap or pull her out of every activity. It's to give her body what it needs to handle the load: rest, proper technique, good gear, and adults who are paying attention.
Keep her healthy now, and she'll be able to keep playing for years to come. That's the real win.
Ian Goldberg is the CEO of Signature Media and the Editor of the largest and fastest growing sports parenting newsletter. He’s been recognized as an industry expert by the National Alliance for Youth Sports, the US Olympic Committee’s Truesport, and the Aspen Institute's Project Play. Ian is also a suburban NJ sports dad of two teenage daughters and has over 2,000 hours of volunteer time coaching them (which he calls the most fun form of R&D for his newsletter content). Ian and his team provide players, coaches, parents and program directors with the articles and content they need to have a great sports season. Ian has spent most of his career in digital product development and marketing and got his start at the White House where he worked for the economic advisors to two US Presidents.
