Pumping Iron Differs Between Genders
THURSDAY,
Oct. 24 (HealthScoutNews) -- Women and men take different precautions while
doing weight training or lifting, says a survey by the American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). The
seven-week online survey of 410 people found men were more likely than women to
use a spotter (35 percent versus 18 percent) or use a weight belt (24 percent
versus 5 percent). The survey found that 71 percent of the women received
training for proper use of weight training/lifting equipment, compared to 38
percent of male respondents. Only
18 percent of men reported using a professionally designed weight training
program, compared to 44 percent of women. More women than men reported they
received injury prevention and training information from a personal trainer or
health club employee. Many
men said they got injury prevention information from friends or from books,
articles or Web sites. The
most common injuries reported by both genders included inflammation (79
percent), muscle strain/sprain (58 percent) and tendonitis (24 percent). The
shoulder was the most common injury site (32 percent), followed by the lower
back (16 percent). Women were more than twice as likely as men to report severe
injury to the knee or leg. The
survey found that 44 percent of the respondents do weight training or lifting
three days a week. Men were more likely to work out for an hour at a time, while
women were more likely to work out for a half hour. Men
were more likely to start weight training/lifting at an earlier age than women.
The survey found men had a mean average of 14 years involvement in weight
training/lifting, compared to seven years for women. In
the year 2000, more than 197,000 weight training-related injuries were treated
in U.S. doctor's offices, clinics and hospital emergency rooms, says the U.S.
Product Safety Commission. The overall medical, legal and liability costs were
more than $2.8 billion. |