Women Have More Back Pain

Back pain is a big problem for woman all over the world. A third of the average sixteen to twenty four year old female has already had some back pain.  Women who are between forty-five and sixty-five --- at least fifty percent have suffered some back pain. 

There are more women then men who suffer from pain in their backs and the pain they have is worse and lasts longer then that of their male counterparts. Yes I know that men will disagree with that statement.

With men, their backaches are more often caused by an injury and they then receive professional medical treatment and therapy.

With a woman, their pain comes from the things they must deal with everyday of their lives and they rarely see a physician. And if they do see medical help, most often they do not have the time or resources to follow the healing advice.

Women can have back pain caused by many sources. The most common are from things they do at home like lifting, gardening and vacuuming.  Periods can be a trigger for back pain. Pregnancy is frequently a back pain issue with up to sixty percent of all pregnant women having some back pain especially during the last trimester.

Woman are also more likely to get hurt on the job especially as they more often work in health care services, retailing, hotel and catering.

A huge number of nurses hurt their backs every year; nearly five percent of them will be unable to return to nursing.

Back injuries cause more workdays to be missed by woman in a single year than any other problem. One of the reasons for this is the type of jobs woman have. Many of them are high-risk vocations because the job involves repetitive motion or pulling, pushing or lifting.

Examples of the kind of jobs that put woman at risk for back pain include factory workers, cashiers, telephone operators and data entry workers. So are bank tellers, who stand all day, and teachers or care givers of small children. Women often have to deal with the sudden twist or strain on the back because of falling children, improperly placed equipment on a desk or lifting heavy objects improperly.

Then these hard working woman come home and must prepare meals, clean house, feed the baby, do the laundry and the remainder of the household jobs.  So many of these jobs include bending, lifting, standing and twisting. All prime risk factors for back pain, as is breastfeeding, leaning over a crib and picking up children of any size.

Even when a woman wants to dress up she is at risk for back problems. Those heels she loves so much can increase the pain in her back. Tight clothes affect ease of movement. Even a woman’s bust can be a back pain issue. Too large and the weight is hard on her back.

Women cannot stop all the things they do just to try to prevent back pain. Children need their mothers and the things they do for them.  The jobs women have outside the home are necessary for the income. There’s no easy solution for the hard working women of the world.

To avoid back pain and injury,

• learn to lift properly using the legs to take the weight and not the back.
• Always squat down to pick up a child.
• Lose that extra weight.
• Consider buying a different mattress for more support and a better nights sleep.
• If you do have a job that allows you to sit -- check your chair, is it the right height with good back support.
• Rearrange your desk so that you do not have to twist and reach to get the items you need.
• Rearrange your kitchen - put heavy dishes in a mid body range storage area so that you do not have to reach up or lift up.
• When moving furniture, get help.  Yes I know you can do it, but at what cost.
• Get in the habit of sucking in your stomach. Those muscles come from the back and just that simple exercise will strengthen your back. This is particularly difficult for women whose jobs require they stand for hours on end. However, if you build up those back muscles by pulling in your stomach, your job will not be the source of your back pain. Just watch how you do your lifting and twisting.

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