Women prone to upper body maladies

Women are at least twice as likely as men to develop musculoskeletal disorders of the upper body, indicate the findings of scientists at Ohio State University, Columbus, who reanalyzed data from 56 previous studies on the subject. This gives researchers a critical baseline for comparing gender differences in the prevalence of disorders of the neck, shoulders, arms, and hands.

Until now, some researchers suspected that women only appear to have a higher incidence of these disorders because they are more likely than men to admit that they are in pain and get treatment. Others thought the sexual difference was due to a greater exposure to certain risk factors for women.

Delia Treaster, a former doctoral student at Ohio State, conducted this research with Deborah Burr, assistant professor of epidemiology and biometrics. When they accounted for factors such as a person's age, occupation, and whether an individual reported the disorder themselves or whether it was clinically diagnosed, they were surprised to find that the gender difference still remained.

"Any way you slice the data, women have a significantly higher prevalence-anywhere from two to 10, even 11 times higher than men--for many of these disorders," Treaster notes. "The question now is, why? Is it biomechanical, physiological, psychological, or what? Most likely, it is due to a combination of factors."

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) affect the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. One 1998 study found that 15% of the American working population suffered one or more MSDs, and that this rate could increase to 18% within the next 30 years. Researchers believe that doing highly repetitive or physically stressful work can be the cause.

MSDs sometimes are difficult to diagnose. Doctors can perform clinical tests for a malady like carpal tunnel syndrome--pain and numbness in the hands--but for neck and shoulder disorders, "All you have to go on is whether someone is in pain, and pain is so subjective," says Treaster.

The conventional wisdom is that men do physically demanding work such as heavy lifting that makes them more susceptible to back maladies, while women do the fine, repetitive work that can lead to neck, shoulder, and wrist problems. This study, however, demonstrates that women were more likely than men to develop MSDs even when they have the same job.

One way to prevent MSDs is through better workplace design, equipment selection, and work practices.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group