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Chronic Pain
Do Men and Women Experience Chronic Pain Differently?
Regardless of gender, an individualized approach to chronic pain works best.
Posted August 27, 2015
Experts in the psychology field have long been working to better understand the differences between men and women. John Gray’s bestselling book, Men are from Mars Women are from Venus, remains popular more than 20 years after publication because new generations are still trying to answer questions about the different sexes.
As the manager of the Pain Recovery Program, I’ve been intrigued by gender distinctions when it comes to acute pain and chronic pain. The issue is a very complex and often controversial one. CBS News published an article earlier this summer entitled, “Pain response may differ in males, females.” The article addresses a recent study on mice to determine if men and women experience pain in their own unique ways. The article points to recent CDC health statistics that state that, “Women are more likely to experience several kinds of pain than men, especially in the head and back. Women were twice as likely to experience migraines or severe headaches, or pain in the face or jaw, than men. The reasons for the disparity may involve a complex mesh of factors from social and environmental to biological and medical treatment differences.”
Intrigued by the CBS News article, I investigated the topic further and came away with some interesting findings. First, hormonal levels play a role in pain-related stimuli. Men have higher levels of testosterone, which appears to have pain-relieving qualities that could lessen pain intensity.
Then there are psychosocial factors. Men and women draw on different coping strategies, with women tending to have a broader range of coping skills than men. Cultural beliefs regarding masculinity and femininity also play a role. Evidence also shows that women have greater sensitivity across all five senses, which could affect pain perception (Velle, 1987).
Diagnoses for many common chronic pain conditions are higher for women than men. These include fibromyalgia, migraines and tension headaches, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), back and facial pain. Most studies also show that women seek medical care for pain at a higher rate than men.
When it comes to treatment, women are more likely to be treated with a sedative, while men are more likely to be given an opiate. Some experts theorize that this is because some providers view women’s complaints as emotional or psychological in nature while they believe men are truly suffering from physical pain.
What is clear is that there are many differences in how men and women experience pain as well as how they are treated. I believe we should focus on each person as an individual who experiences various stimuli differently. Successful treatment takes into account the life story, collaborative information, emotional experiences, thoughts and behaviors of each person so he or she can accomplish the goals of decreased pain and an improved quality of life, free of addictive substances.
