Women tend to get bunions and hammer toes from narrow shoewear. These can be painful and affect athletic performance. Wider athletic shoes and bunion pads may be helpful. Improved shoewear off the field may help prevent this problem. Particularly in overhead sports such as volleyball, tennis, swimming and baseball.
Women tend to have decreased upper body strength as well, adding to the risk.
Rotator cuff strengthening exercises may help to prevent this injury. Internal and external rotation exercises using elastic tubing with the arm at the side is particularly helpful. Exertional compartment syndrome is one of the causes of leg pain commonly known as shin splints. This form of shin splints occurs only during exercise, and quickly resolves after activity ceases. In female athletes, menstrual cycle and use of birth control pills can affect fluid shifts in the muscle compartments.