Women's Sports Medicine Program

Mass General leads the advancement of women’s sports and exercise medicine through multidisciplinary expert clinical care, research and education.

Women's Sports Injury & Performance Clinic

Our multidisciplinary clinic, directed by Kelly McInnis, DO, combines expertise in surgery, physiatry and physical therapy to provide care for female athletes with sport-specific injury treatment plans focused on return-to-play.

Call now for an appointment with Dr. McInnis: 857-282-3909

Patient Testimonial

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Our Mission

Our experts from multiple specialties provide coordinated and comprehensive care for female athletes. We provide cutting edge, evidence-driven treatment and to contribute to the scientific knowledge necessary to optimize the care of female athletes. As women continually break barriers in their careers in sports, the Women’s Sports Medicine Program at Mass General is designed to support the growing medical needs of this unique population.

Serving the Rapidly Evolving Field of Women’s Sports

Miho Tanaka, MD, PhD, Director of the Women's Sports Medicine Program, discusses the ways in which women's sports medicine is changing.

The Three Core Components of the Women’s Sports Medicine Program

Miho Tanaka, MD, PhD, Director of the Women's Sports Medicine Program, discusses the interrelated clinical, research and educational missions of this important program.

A Personalized Approach to Return-to-Play

Miho Tanaka, MD, PhD, Director of the Women's Sports Medicine Program, discusses the Program's Sports Injury and Performance Clinic.

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Clinical Care

Our experts are leaders in their fields, each with a special interest in treating female athletes and experience in treating athletes in female-specific sports.

Research

Together, our experts collaborate to identify and develop solutions to female-specific injuries and conditions in sports medicine.

Learn more about the education programs in the Women's Sports Medicine Program at Mass General.

Education & Outreach

We provide education, focusing particularly on improving community education & outreach on important topics like injury prevention for athletes, coaches, athletic trainers and parents.

What makes female athletes different?

As the caliber of women's sports rises, the image and definition of the female athlete evolves. Women are staying active with age, and participating in an ever-expanding variety of sports and exercise modalities. With increased participation, the rates of acute and overuse injuries are rapidly rising, yet knowledge of the role gender plays in sports injury is still limited. Our ongoing research shows significant differences in the following areas:

Learn more about women's cardiovascular health and how it differs than men when it comes to exercise

Heart Health

Cardiovascular considerations and performance measures in exercise tolerance differ with gender.

Endocrinology

Hormonal changes can influence certain musculoskeletal conditions. Changes in energy availability can also cause hormonal alterations.

Pregnancy

With specialized knowledge about the safety of peripartum training, our multidisciplinary team helps guide the treatment of sports medicine injuries during pregnancy.

Learn more about ACL injury preventative training programs.

ACL Injuries

Female athletes are 4-8 times more likely to tear their ACL than males, but this risk can be lowered.

Disordered Eating

More common for female athletes, alterations in diet and energy availability can lead to serious metabolic consequences that can result in bone injury and chronic medical conditions.

Concussions

Research suggests that women are more likely to suffer prolonged symptoms after sustaining a concussion when compared to males.

More from our experts

Lily’s Story: ACL Revision Surgery with Miho Tanaka, MD, PhD

Multisport high school athlete Lily was sidelined by a string of ACL injuries. Hoping to get her daughter back in the game, Lily’s mother reached out to Miho Tanaka, MD, PhD for help.

Read about Lily’s care journey

Women's Sports Medicine Program patient, Lily, during a field hockey game

ACL Injury Prevention on WCVB Channel 5

Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee are one of the most common causes for season-ending surgery for female athletes. Miho Tanaka, MD, PhD and Kelly McInnis, DO educate female athletes about ways to prevent ACL injuries from occurring in the first place.

Watch the segment

Miho Tanaka, MD, PhD and Kelly McInnis, DO were interviewed about ACL injury prevention; photo of a lacrosse player who tore her ACL.

Dr. Kelly McInnis on Charged podcast

Kelly McInnis, DO discusses her interest in working with female athletes and unique challenges they face. She talks about her passion for helping athletes of all levels recover, as well as her how her background in non-surgical care can complement the work of orthopaedic surgeons.

Listen to Dr. McInnis' podcast

Kelly McInnis, DO was featured on Mass General's podcast, Charged

Keeping her in the game

Miho Tanaka, MD, PhD discusses ACL injuries and the importance of promoting injury prevention programs for female athletes.

Read her column

Miho Tanaka, MD, PhD next to a football field

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