Gender Differences Make a Difference when Lifting

When it comes to lifting, women are not smaller versions of men. This is an important research finding as more and more women enter physically demanding jobs. It's not uncommon to see women performing jobs that have always been done by men in the past.

Work demands aren't usually adjusted for women. Does this put them at increased risk of injury? What are the actual differences between men and women when performing heavy lifting? These are the questions for which researchers at a biodynamics lab at Ohio State University are seeking answers.

Earlier studies have shown that there are differences in muscle anatomy between men and women. Men have more muscle fibers. Muscle fibers are laid down in different directions for women. Trunk proportions vary between the genders. Pelvic width is wider in women. It turns out that all of these factors make a difference when lifting heavy objects.

Women have less strength in the low back and tend to use their pelvis more when lifting. Men use a lifting style that relies more on trunk motion. Women use extra muscles in the trunk, back, and pelvis to complete lifts. Lifting in this way helps reduce the load on the spine. However, the spine in a woman can't tolerate as much load as men can handle.

Women are injured more often than men when lifting similar heavy loads. This can be accounted for by differences in muscle anatomy, body proportions, and spine load tolerances.