Men and women are different, as we all know, so our bodies react differently to pain. Women who suffer from chronic pain experience this pain in different parts of their bodies, compared to men. Despite this, 80% of the studies made on chronic pain focus on men. This leaves women to suffer in silence most of the times, especially when their friends and families don’t believe they are in pain.
Recently, Lady Gaga draw a signal on how women have to deal with chronic pain in her documentary Five Foot Two, where she is seen putting on a smile despite the pain and doing her job. This is exactly what thousands of other women do, every day.
Both men and women suffer from chronic pain, but these are the body parts where women are most likely to experience it.
Facial pain
Women often experience facial pain, according to pain management doctors. This pain is felt in the jaw most of the times, but its cause is not identifiable. This atypical type of pain is accompanied by burning sensations and it can affect a part of the mouth. It can be triggered by wind, talking or brushing your teeth.
Migraines
While men can suffer from migraines, they are very common in women. Many women experience excruciating migraines whose cause remains unknown. The pain can vary between mild to severe and is often accompanied by nausea, the need to stay in the dark, the need for complete silence and it can focus on a specific part of the head. The pain can become so severe that it impairs your normal function and keeps you in bed. Migraines are four times more common in women than men.
Neck pain
According to a study, women experience more neck pain than men, due to cervical degenerative disc disease. Pain neck is accompanied by lack of mobility and prevents the patient to move their head. Some women get relief after a neck massage.
Back pain
As women suffer more from chronic pain than men, they are more affected by a number of painful back conditions, including tailbone pain, fibromyalgia or piriformis syndrome. Chronic back pain due to osteoporosis is another common occurrence in women, who are prone to fractures after the age of 45.
Researchers found that back pain is more prevalent in women than men due to a specific gene. This gene suppresses pain in men and promotes pain in women. The way women perceive pain is different, as we are more sensitive to it than men. This difference in our brain doesn’t mean chronic pain is all in the brain, but it means we feel it more intensive.
Men and women are built to react differently to chronic pain and unfortunately women are not taken seriously when they complain about it. The fact that most studies on pain management are focused on men is not encouraging either, but one can hope that the new generation of pain management physicians will ditch sexism.