Lazy lifestyles mean men are suffering back pain from the age of 37

Study reveals marked increase of men suffering from backpain

Photo: CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP/Getty Images) (Photo: CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP/Getty Images))

Lazy lifestyles means that men are suffering from back pain at an earlier age, experts have warned.

The average age at which men first begin to suffer from back pain is 37, which the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) claim is significantly younger than in the past.

In a study of over two thousand men commissioned by the BCA, 82 per cent of men reported experiencing regular neck or back pain. The figures represent an increase from 75 per cent of men a year ago.

The survey also asked men what age they were when they first began to suffer from back pain, with an age of 37 being the average response.

BCA chiropractor Rishi Loatey said: “Worryingly, we’re seeing younger men coming through our doors who aren’t looking after themselves.”

“The modern man is certain feeling the strain as we constantly juggle busy lives- working longer hours, tackling DIY and looking after the kids- it all takes its toll.”

Chiropractor Tim Hutchful said of the findings: “We are seeing it [the onset of back pain] happen maybe three or four years earlier than in years gone past.”

“People now have lifestyles when part of their life is very sedentary and then another part is manic. They might commute to work in their car, they sit on their backsides all day, then play five-a-side football once a week- and that is when the problems happen.”

Mr Hutchful added that whilst women also experience back pain, he believes that men are less likely to seek treatment- instead attempting to self-medicate with pain relief and hoping the problem goes away.