Back pain puts one in ten women off sex

Forget headaches, back pain has taken over as a bigger passion killer. According to a survey of 8,000 Brits, one in ten women's sex life suffers because of it, with women more likely than men to abstain from sex because of a dodgy back.

The survey, carried out by back support manufacturer Dynaspine, found that 55% of people experienced back pain at least once a month. But back pain isn't the number one reason why we're not having sex, with one in three of us regularly making excuses to our other halves because we're simply too tired.

But sex isn't the only thing that's affected when we get back pain. According to the survey, it makes one in ten of us sleep on the floor, with 16% spending the day in bed because of back pain and 15% staying as still as possible for as long as it takes for the pain to go away.

Just over a quarter of us stop exercising when we get a bad back too, though experts these days reckon keeping moving is the best way to get over a bad back, as inactivity only makes things worse.

So next time you suffer form backache, stay as active as possible. And when your back isn't playing up, try to do some exercises that help strengthen the muscles in your back, which will help prevent the pain coming back (for advice on specific exercises, consult a physiotherapist). Gentle stretching exercises - such as yoga or Pilates - will also help keep your back flexible.

What excuse do you make for not having sex?