Top 5 Myths Surrounding ACL Injuries in Female Athletes
The Women's Sports Medicine Program dispels five common myths surrounding ACL injuries in female athletes.
Miho Tanaka, MD
Miho Tanaka, MD
Sports Medicine
Sports Medicine Orthopaedic Surgeon
Director, Women's Sports Medicine Program
Sports Medicine Orthopaedic Surgeon
Director, Women's Sports Medicine Program
About Miho Tanaka, MD
Dr. Tanaka is a sports medicine surgeon recognized for her research in patellofemoral (kneecap) disorders and gender-based differences in orthopaedic injuries. She treats male and female athletes of all levels and ages. Dr. Tanaka emphasizes patient education and evidence-based treatment as the foundation of patient care, and performs minimally invasive surgeries of the shoulder, knee, elbow, and ankle.
Dr. Miho J. Tanaka joined the Sports Medicine Center in July 2019. Prior to her arrival at Mass General, she was an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Founding Director of the Women’s Sports Medicine Program at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Dr. Tanaka completed her undergraduate degree at Stanford University, where she was a member of the varsity track and field team. She earned her medical degree at New York Medical College, and she completed her orthopaedic surgery residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. After residency, she completed a fellowship in Sports Medicine and Shoulder surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.
She has served as a team physician for multiple professional, semi-professional and collegiate sports teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Surge, Johns Hopkins University, and the U.S. Soccer Federation.
As a former athlete herself, Dr. Tanaka understands her patients’ passion for sports and shares their commitment to excellence. She has published or presented over 80 articles and book chapters with a primary interest in the anatomy and biomechanics of the knee. She has served on the advisory board for Under Armour’s Connected Fitness Programs, and currently serves as Safety Officer and reviewer for several NIH/NIAMS grant programs.
Dr. Tanaka serves as chair of Multimedia for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and is a member of the Education Committee for the Arthroscopy Association of North America, promoting access to education for both patients and physicians. She additionally serves on the Electronic Media Editorial Board of the American Journal of Sports Medicine, on the Editorial Board for the Arthroscopy Journal, and on the Associate CME Editor Panel for the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. She was the recipient of the 2017 AOSSM Traveling Fellowship, the 2017-2018 AAOS Leadership Fellows Program, and was inducted as an AOA member in the Class of 2018.
Departments, Centers, & Programs:
Clinical Interests:
- ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) Reconstruction
- Arthroscopic surgery
- Biceps repair
- Elbow arthroscopy
- Injuries in female athletes
- Knee arthroscopy
- Knee ligament injuries
- Labral injuries and shoulder instability (SLAP, Bankart)
- Meniscus tear
- Patella (kneecap) dislocation
- Revision ACL reconstruction
- Rotator cuff repairs
- Shoulder arthroscopy
- Shoulder instability/dislocation/subluxation (Latarjet)
- Sports injuries
Treats:
- Adult
Languages:
- Japanese
Locations
Sports Medicine Center
175 Cambridge Street
4th Floor
Boston, MA 02114-2723
Phone: 617-643-3866
Sports Medicine at Mass General Waltham
52 Second Avenue
Building 52, 1st Floor, Suite 1150
Waltham, MA 02451
Phone: 617-643-3866
Medical Education
- MD, New York Medical College
- Residency, The Johns Hopkins Hospital
- Fellowship, Hospital for Special Surgery
American Board Certifications
- Sports Medicine, American Board of Orthopedic Surgery
- Orthopaedic Surgery, American Board of Orthopedic Surgery
Accepted Insurance Plans
- Aetna Health Inc.
- AllWays Health (NHP) - ACD
- AllWays Health (NHP) - PBO
- Beech Street
- Blue Cross Blue Shield - Blue Care 65
- Blue Cross Blue Shield - Indemnity
- Blue Cross Blue Shield - Managed Care
- Blue Cross Blue Shield - Partners Plus
- BMC HealthNet Mass Health MCO/ACO
- Cigna (PAL #'s)
- Commonwealth Care Alliance
- Fallon Community HealthCare
- Great-West Healthcare (formally One Health Plan)
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Plan - ACD
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Plan - PBO
- Health Care Value Management (HCVM)
- Humana/Choice Care PPO
- Maine Community Health Options (MCHO)
- MassHealth
- Medicare
- Medicare - ACD
- OSW - Connecticut
- OSW - Maine
- OSW - Rhode Island
- OSW - Vermont
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS)
- Railroad Medicare
- Railroad Medicare - ACD
- Senior Whole Health
- TriCare
- Tufts Health Plan
- Unicare
- United Healthcare (non-HMO) - ACD
- United Healthcare (non-HMO) - PBO
Note: This provider may accept more insurance plans than shown; please call the practice to find out if your plan is accepted.
Research
Dr. Tanaka’s primary research focus is on the biomechanics, imaging and anatomy of the patellofemoral joint as it relates to patellar instability. She has produced over 80 articles, book chapters and presentations primarily focusing on this topic, and she and her colleagues were awarded the Patellofemoral Surgical Anatomy Excellence Award by the Patellofemoral Foundation and Arthroscopy Association of North America in 2014. She was inducted into the International Patellofemoral Study Group in 2017 and was the recipient of the 2017, 2019, and 2020 grant awards from the Arthroscopy Association of North America.
Dr. Tanaka additionally has interest in improving the understanding of treatment outcomes and injury prevention in female athletes. She directs the MGH Women’s Sports Medicine Program and was previously the founding director of the program at Johns Hopkins, created to promote multidisciplinary research, clinical care and outreach/education focused on female athletes. She aims to bridge clinical gaps for female athletes through collaborations with experts in multiple fields, while promoting educational outreach to prevent injuries in women. She was awarded the Community Partnership Grant by the Eileen Fisher Foundation in 2015-2016 for her work in organizing educational programs for injury prevention in local girls’ schools.
Publications
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See a complete list of my publications via the National Institutes of Health.
Select publications:
- Tanaka MJ, Szymanski LM, Dale JL, Dixit S, Jones LC. Team Approach: Treatment of Injuries in the Female Athlete: Multidisciplinary Considerations for Women's Sports Medicine Programs. JBJS Rev. 2019 Jan;7(1):e7.
- Tanaka MJ, Tompkins MA, Fulkerson JP. Radiographic Landmarks for the Anterior Attachment of the Medial Patellofemoral Complex. Arthroscopy. 2019 Apr;35(4):1141-1146.
- Gans I, Retzky JS, Jones LC, Tanaka MJ. Epidemiology of Recurrent Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Sports: The Injury Surveillance Program, 2004-2014. Orthop J Sports Med. 2018 Jun 13;6(6):2325967118777823.
- Best MJ, Tanaka MJ. Multidirectional Instability of the Shoulder: Treatment Options and Considerations. Sports Med Arthrosc Rev. 2018 Sep;26(3):113-119.
- Tanaka MJ, Chahla J, Farr J 2nd, LaPrade RF, Arendt EA, Sanchis-Alfonso V, Post WR, Fulkerson JP. Recognition of evolving medial patellofemoral anatomy provides insight for reconstruction. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2018 Oct 28.
- Loeb AE, Tanaka MJ. The medial patellofemoral complex. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2018 Jun;11(2):201-208.