Women account for nearly two-thirds (64%) of the 528.3 million bed days reported in 2012 due to a musculoskeletal condition. A bed day is defined as one-half or more days in bed due injury or illness, excluding hospitalization. The greater number of total bed days reported by women is due to both a higher number with musculoskeletal-caused bed days, and a higher mean number of days in bed (9.9 days versus 8.2 days for men).

Women also account for slightly more than half (53%) of the 216.5 million lost work days due to musculoskeletal conditions, because of the greater number of women reporting lost work days (15.4 million versus 12.7 million men). However, men reported a mean of 8.0 lost workdays due to musculoskeletal conditions, while women reported a mean of 7.5 days. (Reference Table 9A.1 PDF CSV)