"Pill could help female athletes beat ligament damage"
Source: ABC News Online
Published: 18 Feb 2012
Category: Pharmaceutical
Rating:
(2 stars)
Keywords: contraceptive women ligament damage
what they said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)
For decades sports medicine has known that women are much more susceptible to ligament and tendon injuries than men.
The original article can be found at: http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2012/s3433908.htm
| Criteria |
Rating |
| Novelty of Treatment |
Satisfactory (?) |
| Availability of Treatment |
Satisfactory (?) |
| Treatment Options |
Not Satisfactory (?) |
| Disease Mongering |
Satisfactory (?) |
| Evidence |
Not Satisfactory (?) |
| Quantification of Benefits of Treatment |
Not Satisfactory (?) |
| Harms of Treatment |
Not Satisfactory (?) |
| Costs of Treatment |
Not Applicable |
| Sources of Information |
Not Satisfactory (?) |
| Relies on Press Release |
Not Applicable |
what we said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)
This story reveals the interesting discovery that circulating oestrogen levels correlate with stretchiness in ligaments and tendons; and that intervention with the oral contraceptive pill reduces this "stretchiness". But the story is spoiled by the lack of detail of the nature of the trial (was it randomised, was it controlled) and the absence of any quantification of the trial results. There is no detail on how less likely subsequent ligament and tendon injuries are for women taking the oral contraceptive pill, nor side-effects from this intervention. A professional critique from a source independent to the research could have addressed many of these issues.
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