With the same bow, men and women load the lower back differently

The summary today

Everything we know comes from thirteen university archers, seven men and six women, measured by a single group with inertial sensors and an ergonomic model that estimates compression between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae. The three papers published between 2024 and 2025 point the same way: with 20- and 25-pound bows the men load the lower back by about 60-130 newtons more than the women, and at 32 pounds the gap widens, because in the men compression rises from 581 to 773 newtons while in the women it stays around 490-510. With the heaviest bow the women lean the trunk back by about 18 degrees against 6-8 for the men, rotate it to the right and tend to lock the bow elbow in hyperextension; in the same sample, the further the trunk leans back, the lower the estimated compression. Two things limit the reading. All the values stay far below the 3,400-newton safety threshold used by the authors, so the difference does not mean that either sex is more at risk. And body weight correlates with compression at r=0.62: with thirteen people, sex cannot be separated from body size, or from how demanding that bow is for each archer.

Also phrased as: "back pain in archery"; "lower back load in men and women"; "lumbar compression in archers"; "trunk posture in women archers"; "draw weight and the back"

Evidence

• 2024
  For Archers Published later

  13 university archers with 25- and 32-pound barebows at two distances, using inertial sensors and an ergonomic model: estimated lumbar compression is higher in the men by about 100 newtons at 25 pounds and by 245-314 at 32 pounds (890 against 576 newtons at 10 yards, 797 against 552 at 15). The difference is described without a reported statistical test.

  An Ergonomics Analysis of Archers through Motion Tracking to Prevent Injuries and Improve Performance · Xiaoxu Ji, Jenna Miller, Xin Gao, Zainab Al Tamimi, Irati Arzalluz, Davide Piovesan

• 2024
  For Archers Published later

  The same sample of 13 students aged 19-26, with 20- and 25-pound bows and a low or high target, 5 repetitions per condition: estimated compression between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae is higher in the men in all four conditions, 665 against 538, 581 against 511, 662 against 558 and 618 against 555 newtons.

  Exploring injury assessment using motion tracking technology and ergonomic tools in archery performance · Xiaoxu Ji, Irati Arzalluz, Xin Gao, Zainab Al Tamimi, Ethan Swierski, Davide Piovesan

• 2024
  Context Archers Published later

  In the same paper body weight correlates with estimated lumbar compression at r=0.62, and the authors point to the difference in body weight between men and women as a possible explanation for the gap.

  Exploring injury assessment using motion tracking technology and ergonomic tools in archery performance · Xiaoxu Ji, Irati Arzalluz, Xin Gao, Zainab Al Tamimi, Ethan Swierski, Davide Piovesan

• 2025
  For Archers Published later

  The same sample, 7 men and 6 women with 20-, 25- and 32-pound recurve barebows: at release, at 32 pounds, estimated compression is 772.8 ± 261.3 newtons in the men against 488.4 ± 43.0 in the women at 10 yards, and 718.4 ± 294.7 against 513.3 ± 47.6 at 15 yards. All values stay far below the 3,400-newton safety threshold used by the authors.

  The Impact of Draw Weight on Archers’ Posture and Injury Risk Through Motion Capture Analysis · Xiaoxu Ji, Zainab Al Tamimi, Xin Gao, Davide Piovesan

• 2025
  For Archers Published later

  Going from 20 to 32 pounds at 10 yards, estimated compression rises in the men, from 581.0 ± 177.8 to 772.8 ± 261.3 newtons, and not in the women, who go from 511.0 ± 97.9 to 488.4 ± 43.0.

  The Impact of Draw Weight on Archers’ Posture and Injury Risk Through Motion Capture Analysis · Xiaoxu Ji, Zainab Al Tamimi, Xin Gao, Davide Piovesan

• 2025
  For Archers Published later

  At 32 pounds the women lean the trunk back much more than the men, -17.7 ± 4.5 against -7.5 ± 4.6 degrees at the shorter distance and -17.9 ± 3.8 against -6.4 ± 3.9 at the longer one (p=0.01 and p=0.003), and rotate it to the right, 7.5 and 14.3 degrees against -6.1 and -1.0 for the men, where positive values mean rotation to the right (p=0.04 and p=0.008).

  The Impact of Draw Weight on Archers’ Posture and Injury Risk Through Motion Capture Analysis · Xiaoxu Ji, Zainab Al Tamimi, Xin Gao, Davide Piovesan

• 2025
  Context Archers Published later

  At 32 pounds the women tend to lock the bow-arm elbow in hyperextension, -9.2 ± 6.2 and -9.5 ± 9.0 degrees against -4.3 ± 7.6 and -3.5 ± 5.6 in the men; differences between bows appear only in the women (20 against 32 pounds at the shorter distance p=0.04; 25 against 32 pounds p=0.04 and p=0.02).

  The Impact of Draw Weight on Archers’ Posture and Injury Risk Through Motion Capture Analysis · Xiaoxu Ji, Zainab Al Tamimi, Xin Gao, Davide Piovesan

• 2025
  Context Archers Published later

  In the same sample trunk flexion-extension correlates with estimated compression at r=0.35 at 20 pounds, 0.39 at 25 and 0.53 at 32: the further the trunk leans back, the lower the compression. The women extend the trunk by about 10 degrees more and have the lowest compression.

  The Impact of Draw Weight on Archers’ Posture and Injury Risk Through Motion Capture Analysis · Xiaoxu Ji, Zainab Al Tamimi, Xin Gao, Davide Piovesan

Status history

1. 2024 Reported The comparison between the sexes appears in the first two papers on lower back load, both on the same thirteen university archers: estimated compression between the fourth and fifth vertebrae is higher in the men in every condition, by about 60-130 newtons with 20- and 25-pound bows and by about 250-310 at 32 pounds. The authors note that body weight correlates with compression (r=0.62) and could explain much of the gap. Two papers, but a single sample of thirteen people: reported.
2. 2025 Reported The same group shows how the women reach that lower load: at 32 pounds they lean the trunk back by about 18 degrees against 6-8 for the men, rotate it to the right and tend to lock the bow elbow in hyperextension, and across the sample the further the trunk leans back, the lower the compression. Going from 20 to 32 pounds, compression rises in the men, from 581 to 773 newtons, and not in the women. It is the same sample as the two 2024 papers, so it is not a replication: the status stays reported.

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