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Treatment Results for Back and Neck Injuries in Men and Women

Men tend to have higher rates of back injury, while women report more neck injuries. Are there other gender-related differences in the work world? Will men or women get better faster? Who's more likely to go back to work first?

The answers can be found in a study from Texas. Researchers from the Productive Rehabilitation Institute of Dallas for Ergonomics (PRIDE) teamed up with doctors from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. They did a large study comparing the results of treatment of chronic musculoskeletal disorders for men versus women.

All the patients had failed other treatment. Some even had surgery without relief of symptoms. Severe pain lasting at least four months was part of each patient's history. Treatment given in this study was to restore function through many different methods. Each patient had an exercise program with a physical or occupational therapist. They moved to a fitness maintenance program at the end of treatment. Each patient received counseling, group therapy, and a stress management program.

The researchers found that men went back to work and kept their jobs more often than women. They aren't sure if this is a gender issue or the fact that women may have had a different injury site. The authors suggest that men may be more single-minded about work, while women may focus more on family or childcare concerns.

Women also sought more healthcare than men. Again, this may be caused by something other than gender. Men and women went through the treatment program in the same amount of time. Women tended to be more depressed, but it's not clear if this affected the final outcome of treatment.

The authors conclude that the differences between men and women are fairly small. Sometimes statistics seem important, but they may not help find risk factors for treatment failure.

The research shows us the what: there is a difference between men and women. How we differ in response to treatment remains unknown. More studies are needed to clear up the how.

References: Donald D. McGeary, PhD Candidate, et al. Gender-Related Differences in Treatment Outcomes for Patients with Musculoskeletal Disorders. In The Spine Journal. May/June 2003. Vol. 3. No. 3. Pp. 197-203.

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