Research Finds 89% Of Female Rugby Players Experience Pain Wearing Boots

Wearing boots designed for men causes discomfort for a mostly of female rugby players, according to caller investigation which finds arsenic galore arsenic 89% of athletes acquisition symptom from wearing shoes not built for women’s feet.

With nan Women’s Rugby World Cup coming to England successful conscionable complete 2 weeks’ clip IDA Sports, a footwear marque designed for female athletes, called retired what it describes arsenic nan “iniquity” of footwear creation that leaves women not only lacking comfortableness erstwhile playing but exposed to a heightened consequence of injury.

After scanning astir 1,000 feet, of amateurs and players from crossed Premiership Women’s Rugby, and surveying a further 330, IDA Sports recovered that comfortableness was nan driving facet down a player’s footwear choice, but 1 that was seldom met. While 78% said comfortableness was a apical priority, astir 9 successful 10 said of discomfort.

“The findings of our galore years of investigation and improvement … exemplify nan inequities that women athletes look erstwhile it comes to footwear,” said Laura Youngson, co-founder and main executive of IDA Sports. “We dream that nan findings of this study will not only tie attraction to nan impactful data, but push much brands to put successful women athletes arsenic we person proudly done complete nan past 7 years.”

Some 45% of players surveyed said they specifically knowledgeable symptom nether nan first metatarsal bone, supra their large toe. This is conventionally nan location for a stud connected a footwear intended for a man.

Youngson has said that female players will often record down nan stud nether nan toed to trim nan unit connected nan bony and IDA Sports adopted a different template for nan studs connected its female-centred boots.

Sports scientists person besides drawn attraction to nan consequence of wounded from studs not adapted specifically for women. Women’s feet and arches are shaped otherwise to men and women besides tally successful a different way. Studs nether nan metatarsal tin consequence injuring nan bone, but besides perchance summation nan chance of damaging ligaments.

Dr Matt Whalan, a advisor to Fifa connected female wellness successful shot and a main partner astatine Figtree Physiotherapy, explained these risks to nan Guardian in a 2020 interview. “The simplest point to do is to look astatine nan interaction pinch nan crushed and nan step/pivot/twist,” he said. “There’s possibly a 10-kilo weight quality betwixt antheral and female footballers and we’re going to put them successful a aforesaid boot, that has nan aforesaid traction, nan aforesaid stiffness and that needs nan aforesaid musculus capacity to power nan traction that that footwear will give.

“If you’ve sewage a stud that is 15mm agelong and you’re leaning really difficult and having to alteration guidance but you’re 10 kilos lighter, do you request studs that agelong to get nan aforesaid benignant of traction? When you’re getting a batch of traction that you don’t request past that’s erstwhile you commencement to put things astatine risk.”