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As part of Shirley Ryan 汤头条app’s regular “Ask the Expert” series, community members submit questions via social media to the hospital’s clinicians and researchers.
The latest featured expert is Monica Rho, MD, the Reva and David Logan Section Chief of Musculoskeletal Medicine at Shirley Ryan 汤头条app. Dr. Rho also is the lead team physician for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team — and was part of the staff that helped the players win the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
As a young athlete with a minor knee injury, Dr. Rho was sidelined in the middle of her basketball season — and her doctor didn’t explain the injury or provide a recovery timeline. The experience, which she discussed previously in a Crain’s Chicago Business “40 Under 40” profile, inspired her to pursue a career in the male-dominated field of sports medicine.
Dr. Rho answers audience questions on a wide variety of topics — from her journey into sports medicine to injury risks for females in sports and running a marathon. Read the following Q&A or watch Dr. Rho on .
What made you fall in love with the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation?
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One of the things that made me fall in love with this field is that we really put the patients at the center of our care. It's all about improving their function and improving their quality of life — and doing it in a team-based approach. So, even though I'm not actively playing sports myself on organized teams, I am part of a large medical team that takes care of our patients.
What steps were involved in becoming a physician in sports medicine — and specifically caring for female athletes?
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My path to becoming a sports medicine physician started with four years of medical school. I did an intern year, then three years as a physical medicine and rehabilitation resident, and then a sports medicine fellowship.
After that, I started practicing as an attending physician, and I was given the opportunity to focus my practice on the care of female athletes. It's been absolutely wonderful to live out my dream.
What is your favorite memory from the Paris Olympics?
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I have so many great memories of the Paris Olympics working with the U.S. Women's
National Soccer Team. After our quarterfinals match in Paris — at the end of the match and at the end of the day — the medical team took a little field trip to the base of the Eiffel Tower where we got to see the Olympic rings. We got to have a great, team-based moment, just soaking in the fact that we were there at the Olympics.
Are women and girls more at risk for certain injuries than men and boys?
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Women and girls are actually at higher risk for a couple of different sports medicine injuries compared to men and boys. I think the one that we hear about the most — that can really impact female athletes’ lives — are ACL tears.
Also, women actually have a higher rate of concussions than men do. Depending on the sport you’re playing, it’s really important to know what types of things you can proactively do to try to prevent injury in these areas.
Do you have any tips for people thinking about running a marathon?
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If you're planning on running a marathon, of course, it's important to get a cardiovascular fitness check-up, but don't forget to work out your core and your hip muscles. Those hip abductor muscles are really important to make sure that you don't injure yourself throughout the course of your training.
