Unfortunately, overuse injuries are quite common in the athletic world. There is nothing more frustrating to an athlete than training as hard as you can for your upcoming season, only to show up to training camp with tendonitis (or any overuse injury).
I am sorry female athletes, but studies show that you are much more likely to experience an overuse injury than male athletes. Specifically females who run track, followed by Women's field hockey, and Women's lacrosse. The sport that seemed to cause male athletes the most overuse injuries was swimming/diving (shoulder injuries were common here). Though male athletes' overuse injuries were observed at about a 33% less rate when compared to females. These studies were conducted by researchers from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Alan Mozes, a HealthDay reporter, wrote a short article that explains the studies further: Overuse Injuries More Common in High School Females.
Proper nutrition is always an important component in athletics, but seems to be overlooked by adolescent athletes (typically females). The study author, Dr. Thomas Best, stated: "Females around the ages of 13-17 are developing bone density at the greatest rate. Therefore it is imperative for them to intake the proper amounts of calcium and vitamin D."
Reading that study made the female athlete triad come to mind. For those that do not know: the female athlete triad is the interrelated combination of lack of energy, bone degradation/osteoporosis, and menstrual disturbances/amenorrhea. A huge contributing factor to the triad is poor nutritional intake. With the high pressure that society puts on females to look thin, it can be hard for female athletes to eat more/enough. Nonetheless, it is crucial for the female athlete's health and athletic career that they intake optimal amounts of nutrients.