They say that when it comes to chronic pain women are not the same as men. According to Spine health differences in pelvic structure, hormonal factors, and the impact of pregnancy are often cited to explain why women bear the brunt of chronic pain.
Chirocare Florida say that several studies have found that between 50 and 70% of women experience back pain while pregnant. The increase in hormones, additional weight, changes in posture, and stress all contribute to the back pain.
So what are the back pain conditions that mainly affect women?
- Fibromyalgia – About 80% to 90% of those with fibromyalgia are women, generally between age 40 and 75. It is not clear why more women than men have fibromyalgia. Hormonal influences may play a role, since fibromyalgia is most common during the years leading up to menopause and beyond, when estrogen levels decline. Another factor could be after a traumatic event/operation in your life. Mine started after one of my lumber surgeries went a bit wrong and I was in hospital for months.
- Coccydynia, or tailbone pain – Although not very common can be triggered by childbirth or a backward fall, doctors can’t always pinpoint the cause. The coccyx isn’t flexible enough to bend with pressure, resulting in injury to the coccyx, the nearby ligaments, or both. This is something else I have suffered from in the past which resulted in an overnight stay in hospital after a manipulative surgery to realign the coccyx bone which worked for me.
- Osteoporisis – we all know this a condition is linked to woman and compression fractures of the spine can trigger off a lot of low back pain. Women are nearly twice as likely as men to have a compression fracture. This is because compression fractures are caused by osteoporosis, and women are much more likely to have osteoporosis.
- Spinal Osteoarthritis – this can develop slowly as the years go by. It affects all ages and is more common in men until age 45, but after age 45 it is more common in women. Overall, 26 percent of women have arthritis, compared with 18 percent of men.
BACK PAIN BLOG UK... 