- Caring for babies and young children – breast feeding, bathing, picking up, etc.
adds to the risk of back pain. All these acts involve lifting the baby at a time when
the ligaments and muscles of the back are still lax. Incorrect
lifting may result in severe back pain. - Menopause and peri-menopause: From the age of 35, the
female hormone (estrogen) levels start to decline. Estrogen
is essential for calcium absorption by the intestines and
deposition in bones. When estrogen levels fall, the bones^
weaken and become brittle, a condition known as osteoporosis.
Neck and back pain often begins or increases with age, so women in
perimenopause may begin experiencing pain during this period. Furthermore,
the less body fat a woman has, the greater the chances that she will experience
menopausal symptoms.
Social causes
Domestic:
There are also social reasons as to why women are at greater risk of back pain than men.
The work many women do places them at high risk of back pain. Women still undertake
the majority of domestic tasks:
^ Shopping -^ carrying heavy loads
^ Cleaning -^ bending, twisting, pushing and pulling
^ Ironing -^ standing and twisting
^ Carrying heavy objects
^ Gardening
Vacuuming
Thus, while back pain in men is often a result of an injury, women suffer from back pain
as part of their everyday lives, a result of long-standing conditions or activities,
including domestic work and child care.
everyday lives
as part of their
from back pain
Women suffer