Back Pain More Prevalent in Women than in Men

There are several reasons why women are more prone to back pain than men.

Paula Morgan, 61, of Edgewood, dealt with back pain for a decade before it moved down to her leg.

“When I woke up, I would have the pain in my left leg where I could not move it and couldn’t get out of bed,” Morgan said. “It was like somebody was just ripping your veins in your leg and [it] had a burning sensation.”

She ended up having surgery that she said changed her life.

“I move more. Yesterday, I did 13,000 steps, and I don’t know how. On the 27th of May, I did 17,000 steps,” Morgan said.

Morgan’s doctor, Maksim "Max" Shlykov, M.D., M.S.—a fellowship-trained, board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon with The Maryland Spine Center, part of The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital at Mercy—said he treats more women than men who have back pain.

“The studies show that back pain is more common in women and there [are] a number of reasons for it. Some of it is anatomy, hormonal changes,” Dr. Shlykov explained.

“I like to tell people that to think about a tire. So, you’re just kind of wearing through the tread of a tire, and so, over time, the discs collapse. There are bone spurs that form and things start to push on the nerves, which can cause leg pain,” Dr. Shlykov added.

Although Morgan was nervous about the surgery, she said she would do it all again, if she could, to have the relief she feels now.

“You have to take a chance sometimes because this is your life.”

“People tell you, ‘Oh my God, you're going to get back surgery? You know, that’s really serious. You might have pain,’” Morgan said. “No. You have to take a chance sometimes because this is your life.”

Are there any preventative measures one can take?

“Maintain a good, healthy weight, keep [your] back and core strong, and don’t pick up smoking. The nicotine and smoke cut off the blood flow to the discs, and they start to wear out even quicker,” Dr. Shlykov said.

View Mercy spine surgeon Dr. Maksim Shlykov’s interview regarding women, lower back pain and nerve compression.