THURSDAY, Oct. 24, 2002 (HealthDayNews) -- 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.
More information
To learn more about weight training/lifting and injury prevention tips, go to the AAOS.
