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Building the Future of Women’s Sports Medicine—On and Off the Pitch

8 minute read
A women’s soccer match shows a Boston Legacy FC player in a bright green uniform sprinting with the ball while closely defended by an opponent in a dark kit from Chicago Stars FC. Other players are visible in the background on the field, with a crowd watching from the stands. The match takes place on a well-lit outdoor pitch under stadium lights.

Women's sports are experiencing unprecedented momentum. Stadiums are filling, viewership is breaking records, and a new generation of athletes is redefining what elite performance looks like. Yet as the game evolves, so too must the systems designed to support the athletes who play it.

At Mass General Brigham, that evolution is already underway.

The collaboration with Boston Legacy FC represents more than a partnership between a healthcare system and a professional soccer club. It reflects a broader shift in women's sports medicine—one that moves beyond treating injuries in isolation and instead delivers comprehensive, evidence-based care that supports athletes throughout every phase of their careers.

From preseason preparation and injury prevention to surgical care, rehabilitation, performance optimization, and return-to-play decision-making, the future of women's sports medicine is embedded, multidisciplinary, and athlete-centered.

Redefining what elite care looks like

As the Official Medical Provider and Sports Medicine Partner for Boston Legacy FC, Mass General Brigham is helping establish a new standard for professional women's sports care.

Historically, women athletes have often had to navigate systems designed around research, protocols, and assumptions derived primarily from men athletes. As participation in women's sports has expanded, so has recognition that women require specialized approaches informed by catered physiology, injury patterns, and performance demands.

"Our research has demonstrated differences that professional women athletes face with regards to injury risk, injury prevention, and injury treatment," says Elizabeth Matzkin, MD. "By understanding these differences, we can provide specialized care, work to prevent injuries, and treat them in ways that get more women back in the game."

Boston Legacy FC provides an opportunity to put those principles into practice every day—integrating cutting-edge science directly into the athlete experience.

Leadership embedded in the team

Two sports medicine doctors wearing black jackets with the Boston Legacy FC emblem while standing on the sideline of a soccer stadium.
Kelly McInnis, DO, and Elizabeth Matzkin, MD

The success of this model depends on leaders who understand both the demands of elite sport and the nuances of women's health.

Kelly McInnis, DO, serves as Chief Medical Officer for Boston Legacy FC, while Dr. Elizabeth Matzkin serves as Head Orthopedic Surgeon. Together, they help shape every aspect of the club's medical strategy—from emergency preparedness and injury surveillance to long-term health planning and return-to-play decisions.

Their involvement extends far beyond the sidelines.

As embedded members of the organization's performance infrastructure, they collaborate closely with athletic trainers, physical therapists, strength and conditioning professionals, sport psychologists, and team leadership to ensure athletes receive coordinated care tailored to their individual needs.

"The field is relatively new, with a bright future," says Dr. McInnis. "We plan to lead the advancement of women's sports medicine in clinical care, research, education, and community engagement."

This proximity allows clinicians to understand not only an athlete's injury, but also the context surrounding it—their training loads, competitive schedule, goals, and the physical and psychological demands of returning to elite competition.

"Providing world-class medical care is essential to helping our players perform at their best. Mass General Brigham brings exceptional expertise across every aspect of athlete care, and having Dr. McInnis and Dr. Matzkin actively engaged with our team ensures our players have the confidence and support they need throughout the season," said Domè Guasch, General Manager of Boston Legacy FC.

As one of the national leaders in caring for elite athletes, Mass General Brigham is a tremendous fit for Boston Legacy FC as we continue to build a club dedicated to the health and well-being of our players

Domè Guasch
General Manager
Boston Legacy FC

A women’s soccer team in bright green uniforms stands in a large huddle on the field after a match. These players from Boston Legacy FC link arms with coaches and staff, forming a circle that fills the foreground. Stadium lights illuminate the scene while spectators and additional team members are visible in the background.

Continuity across the athlete lifespan

Elite sports medicine is no longer reactive.

The most effective programs focus on continuity of care that begins before the first whistle and extends long after an athlete returns to play.

Preseason evaluations help identify risk factors and establish performance baselines. Preventive strategies target movement patterns and biomechanical vulnerabilities. During the season, ongoing monitoring allows teams to identify concerns early and intervene before small issues become major setbacks.

If injury occurs, athletes benefit from seamless transitions between diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and reintegration into competition.

Mass General Brigham's Center for Sports Performance and Research (CSPaR) strengthens this continuum through advanced performance testing, objective assessment tools, and recovery support designed to optimize outcomes and inform return-to-play decisions.

“As one of the national leaders in caring for elite athletes, Mass General Brigham is a tremendous fit for Boston Legacy FC as we continue to build a club dedicated to the health and well-being of our players,” said Guasch.

By combining clinical expertise with performance science, teams better understand when athletes are ready not only to participate again—but to thrive.

The result is a model that supports athletes throughout the entirety of their journey rather than at isolated moments of crisis.

Treating the whole athlete

Recovery is about more than healing tissue.

Injury can affect identity, confidence, motivation, and emotional well-being. For elite athletes whose lives revolve around competition, time away from sport can be profoundly challenging.

Recognizing this reality, comprehensive women's sports medicine includes mental health as an essential component of care.

Mass General Brigham integrates sport psychology into its multidisciplinary approach, ensuring athletes have access to specialists who understand the unique pressures of competitive environments. These experts help athletes navigate anxiety, build resilience, maintain focus during rehabilitation, and develop strategies for returning to competition with confidence.

As women's sports continue to professionalize, supporting psychological health must become as routine as strength training and physical therapy.

Because treating the whole athlete means acknowledging that performance and well-being are inseparable.

Understanding what makes women's sports medicine different

A women's soccer player in a bright green Boston Legacy FC uniform celebrates with arms raised during a match. She runs across the field, smiling and shouting in excitement. The background is blurred with spectators in the stands.

Professional women athletes face distinct physiological considerations that influence injury risk, treatment, and recovery. Research has shown that women experience significant increased risk and higher rates of certain injuries, including anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. They may also experience different rates of return to sport following ACL reconstruction.

Hormonal fluctuations, nutritional status, bone health, and conditions such as Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) can influence performance and injury susceptibility. Muscle imbalances and biomechanical differences may also affect how athletes train, recover, and respond to treatment.

These factors require specialized expertise.

Women's sports medicine clinicians understand not only how to repair an injury, but also how to address the underlying contributors that may have led to it in the first place. Return-to-play protocols are individualized, balancing objective performance measures with the athlete's readiness—both physically and psychologically—to resume competition.

This depth of understanding enables more effective prevention strategies, more precise treatment plans, and ultimately, better outcomes.

Advancing the standard together

Women's sports are entering a defining era.

The expectations placed on athletes continue to rise. The systems supporting them must rise alongside them.

The collaboration between Mass General Brigham and Boston Legacy FC demonstrates what is possible when healthcare organizations invest intentionally in women's sports: embedded expertise, multidisciplinary teamwork, evidence-based innovation, and a commitment to caring for athletes as whole people.

But this work extends beyond one team, one season, or one league.

Building the future of women's sports medicine means advancing standards both on and off the pitch.