I heard on the radio that yard work is bad for men and puts us at risk for back pain. Is this true?

You may have heard about the new report taken from the Canadian National Population Health Survey. Men and women 18 and older were asked about back pain and assessed for risk factors. It is true that gardening or yard work was was linked with back pain for some men.

The report pointed out that this was true when the men had a negative association with yard work. This may not be true for men who enjoy this activity. Other risk factors may be equally important. These include height, general stress, and overall health.