Harris and Ross, elite physiotherapists in Manchester, have revealed the trend that more men than women proactively seek treatment, when suffering from an injury.
Harris and Ross have stated that, based on their records, men are 50% more likely to visit the physio.
Evidence suggests that men will get in to see a physio much quicker than women, who will more often than not let an injury lie for longer periods of time.
Suzy Ross, physiotherapist at Harris and Ross said:
“Throughout my experience, I have recognised a distinct trend in the industry which separates men from women.
“The general consensus seems to be that women are often too preoccupied juggling working with family and therefore neglect their own health and welfare.
“Conversely, men seem more inclined to receive treatment and tend to get in to see a consultant at a much quicker rate and often when the injury is still fresh.”
Healthcare professionals say their findings reveal, women do not put themselves first and fail to prioritise their own health.
Why is this? Do women have less free time? Or do men put themselves in positions where they are more likely to get injured?
The research suggests that the amount of men playing sport outweighs the number of women taking part by approximately 10% and the number of men working in manual jobs is also significantly higher than women. This might explain the gender imbalance in the number of men and women who visit the physio.
Generally, women seem to have a number of other commitments that need to come first and essentially ignore their customary aches and pains that they have become so accustomed to.
Suzy Ross said: “We can only really speculate why more men come in to see us, but the general impression is that women don’t consider their own personal physical well-being to be their main priority, especially if it isn’t getting in the way of their day-to-day routines.
“The statistics show that in general, men lead more of an active lifestyle and are therefore more susceptible to injury and require more immediate treatment to return to full fitness.
“However, it may also be due to the fact women spend much of their time running around after their family and have to re-prioritise, therefore focusing more on the needs of everybody else around them.”
Whilst this may be the case, research also highlights that women have a higher pain threshold than men and may be able to tolerate discomfort for longer. It is possible women put off seeking medical assistance until the problem worsens and becomes too much to bear.
