Obviously, the biggest difference between the old concept of a woman and the new concept of a woman is independence – women have completely entered the workforce. Women perform most of the household and childcare responsibilities, regardless of their employment status. Women are better communicators and compromisers.

A Modern Woman defines herself separate from stereotypes. She is introspective, brave and intelligent enough to know her own strengths and weaknesses. She acts to maximize her strengths and minimize her weaknesses.

Well! That’s great! Women are being independent.

But,

With doing all household work, Childbirth, childcare responsibilities, family responsibilities, jobs, they never take care of their own body and that’s why they start getting body related complications as age increase.

Read Full article to understand how women get more spine related complications than men and how chiropractic treatment can helps you.

First of all, males and females bones develop at different rates. We all know the adage that girls mature faster than boys. All humans are born with a portion of cartilage in their bones, which starts out flexible and becomes more firm over time, resulting in the hard texture we all associate with bones.

The bones in a female body complete their development sooner than those in the male body. Female bones complete their development around age 18, while men s bones continue to mature until around age 21. This is part of the explanation behind the difference in the average size of male and female bones as the male bones continue to grow and develop longer, they also become larger (on average) and have more pronounced corners. Thus, the relative size of several key features can be used to identify a male vs. female skeleton.

Spine Related Complications more in Women than Men

For the past two decades, research on gender and pain has been a topic of major scientific and clinical interest. More recent research is expanding into how the overall pain experience differs for women compared with men.

Richard W. Rosenquist, MD, Chairman of Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Pain Management, explains that multiple factors play a role in how we experience pain. This includes genetics, social status, exercise and information processing in the brain. And for women, hormones, puberty, reproductive status and menstrual cycle also affect pain threshold and perception, he notes. Here is what the research tells us about the female experience with four common areas of pain.

One study has suggested that women develop chronic low back pain and sciatica more than men. According to the study, the gene variant that promotes chronic pain in women suppresses pain in men. The research encompassed nearly 300 patients who suffered from disc prolapse; researchers followed up with patients a year after they were initially admitted for treatment. In the study, it was revealed that men also recovered more quickly from their pain.

Women are more prone to mineral deficiencies like osteoporosis (calcium deficiency), anemia (iron deficiency), low thyroid (often due to iodine deficiency), and chronic fatigue (often due to vitamin D or magnesium deficiency). Therefore, they suffer from a range of illnesses, including joint and muscle disorders.

In fact, the NIH reports that there is approximately a 3-to-1 female-to-male ratio in the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome in the United States. This condition is characterized by recurring symptoms of abdominal pain and problems with bowel habits.

They often bruise very easily and so are more likely to have injuries in the neck and back areas.Women generally work longer hours than men. They are the first to get up and last to sleep. From childcare to organizing meals and sorting out the general affairs of the family, they usually play an important role. The wear and tear in the joints and muscles are obvious. As working women, additionally, they have a full day of normal duties to carry out. Their posture is generally bad due to fatigue and over exertion.

Finally, pregnancy puts a lot of strain on the lower back. The weight of the baby puts tremendous strain on the groin and lower back. Just before the end of term, the body secretes a hormone that causes bone loss in the pelvic and lower back joint surfaces. This is to make them more flexible so the head can pass through the pelvic girdle without any hindrance. This often causes additional backache. As the baby grows, the mother has to carry it very often, which puts a lot of strain on the arms and the neck. Mothers forget that the child gains weight rapidly and continue to lift and carry them, which causes a lot of backache.

Women are more prone to having migraine headaches, rheumatoid arthritis, cramps in the calves, fibromyalgia (inflammatory muscular disease), and polymyalgia rheumatic (rheumatic muscle pain), as well as their own specific pains such as  labor pain, period pain, endometria pain in the lower abdomen, and premenstrual body aches.

Emotionally too, they have more \”pains\” than men, as they have frequent mood swings due to the nature of their hormonal cycles and their sensitive nature. Nature has given them more tolerance and therefore they complain a lot less than men about pain or other symptoms of diseases.

Additionally, women are more likely to suffer from back pain at a specific point in their life, when they are pregnant. 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.

According to the Women’s Health Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, migraines are most common in women between the ages of 20 and 45. And women more than men report more painful and longer-lasting headaches with more associated symptoms, including nausea and vomiting

Back Pain Conditions More Common in Women

As women are more likely to suffer from chronic back pain, they are also more likely to suffer from specific conditions that are the underlying cause of the pain.

Sseveral specific types of musculoskeletal pain, including back pain, whole body pain, fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis. As women age, they experience more compression fractures, vertebral changes such scoliosis, loss of bone mass and osteoarthritis than do men. Any one of these conditions puts women at a higher risk of breaking a bone during a fall, which can add to their pain.

Take a look at these 7 chronic pain conditions in the back, and see if the symptoms sound familiar.

1. Coccydynia  :  Coccydynia is a term used for tailbone pain. Women are five times more likely to suffer from a tailbone injury, which may occur during a difficult childbirth.
2.Compression fracture  :  When a bone in the spine breaks as a result of osteoporosis, or thinning of the bones, it’s called a compression fracture. The fracture usually happens in the front of the spine.

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.

Osteoporosis is the most common cause of vertebral compression fractures, especially in women over the age of 50.

3.Degenerative spondylolisthesis  : Spondylolisthesis occurs when one vertebra slips forward, over the one below it. The slip can irritate a spinal nerve root and cause back pain, most commonly in the lumbar spine. Women are three times more likely than men to suffer from degenerative spondylolisthesis.

4.Fibromyalgia  :  Muscle pain, stiffness, and fatigue—often in areas known as tender points—are the hallmarks of fibromyalgia. Because the condition has an impact on the muscles, joints, and bones, fibromyalgia is classified as a rheumatic condition. If you have fibromyalgia, you may have pain in the upper and lower back, neck, and hips.

5.Piriformis syndrome  :  Symptoms of piriformis syndrome may include a sciatica-like pain and/or numbness in the leg. Piriformis syndrome refers to the spasming of the piriformis muscle, located in the buttocks. Spasms in this muscle can irritate the sciatic nerve and cause pain, numbness, and tingling along the back of the leg and into the foot.

6.Sacroiliac joint dysfunction  :  A sacroiliac (SI) joint injection is used either to diagnose or treat low back pain and/or sciatica symptoms associated with sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Your sacroiliac joint, also called the SI joint, plays a crucial role as a shock absorber between your upper body and your pelvis. When something goes wrong, triggering pain.

Low back and leg pain, similar to that experienced with sciatica, are common. Other symptoms include pain on one side of your buttocks or low back that radiates down the leg, ending either just before the knee or continuing into the ankle or foot. Pain is usually worse after you stand for an extended time, bend, or climb stairs.

Sacroiliac joint dysfunction is more likely to occur in young and middle-aged women. While more women than men have SI joint dysfunction, estimates of the extent of the disparity vary widely.

The impact of pregnancy is one reason women are more likely to have sacroiliac joint pain. During pregnancy, the body releases a chemical that relaxes the ligaments and joints, allowing more space for the baby during childbirth. The pressure and weight of the baby can also stress the pelvis. SI joint pain can occur during pregnancy and the effects on the ligaments may linger after birth. An accident, such as a fall, may also harm the ligaments.

7.Spinal osteoarthritis  :  When you think of osteoarthritis, you may think of aching knees or hips, but your back is not exempt from this most common kind of arthritis. Spinal osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that causes a breakdown of the fibrous cartilage in the facet joints connecting your vertebrae. Without the cushioning provided by the cartilage, your bones rub together, leading to changes in the bones’ shape. In the spine, bone spurs can develop on the vertebrae.

 Furthermore the neck bones themselves can more easily become out of alignment leading to narrowing of the spinal cord and nerve structures. It is well known that estrogen can create ligament laxity during pregnancy. It would seem plausible that these hormones could affect the strength of the ligaments themselves that bind the facet joints. These joints as well as the tendons that bind muscle to bone can be injured during a whiplash injury.

How Chiropractic Care Can Improve Women’s Health

Chiropractic Care Benefits Women Of All Ages

The term \”chiropractic\” comes from the Greek language and means \”done by hand.\” Chiropractic are  primarily involves manual manipulation, which restores joint mobility, as a treatment option for musculoskeletal disorders and as a way to improve overall health. The spine is the primary focus, but manipulation can also be effective for other parts of the musculoskeletal system (MSS) such as extremities, including ankles, knees, hips, wrists, elbows, shoulders and ribs.

Doctors of chiropractic—commonly referred to as chiropractors or chiropractic physicians—use adjustments, joint manipulation and other techniques to normalize spinal and neural function, relieve various disorders and promote your body\’s natural healing process. Chiropractic treatment involves neither drugs nor surgery, and most chiropractors will advise you to consult with another health care professional if your condition requires a different type of treatment or if co management of your condition is appropriate.

Doctors of chiropractic believe in a holistic (\”total person\”) approach to healing, which typifies the new and changing attitude toward health. It is based on the concept of \”maintaining health\” versus \”treating disease.\”

Chiropractors also address problems unique to women, suggesting chiropractic care for pregnant and postpartum women, as well as those suffering from premenstrual syndrome and menstrual cramps.

Chiropractic neurologists are a growing specialty, treating patients with a variety of conditions, including hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder and autism.

Chiropractors also may treat sciatica (pain in the lower back and hip that spreads down the back of the thigh into the leg), asthma, high blood pressure, tension headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoporosis, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) and neurological pain. Some of these conditions are treated directly, such as tension headaches, and others indirectly, such as osteoporosis, by addressing the symptoms.

However, conditions of the blood, heart, lungs and other organs, as well as infectious diseases or injuries, require treatment by other medical health care professionals. If you are under the care of a specialist, discuss your interest in chiropractic treatment with your health care team. For many conditions, such as lower back pain, chiropractic care may be the primary method of treatment. When other health conditions exist, chiropractic care may complement or support medical treatment by relieving the musculoskeletal aspects associated with the condition.

Chiropractic care can have a big influence on women’s health. At all stages of life, women can benefit from chiropractic care. Techniques like spinal adjustment, stretches and exercises, nutrition counseling and other chiropractic services are designed to improve communication along the spinal cord, ensure proper functioning of the brain and the other organs and reduce pain to improve quality of life. If you’re a woman trying to maintain good health throughout adulthood, chiropractic treatment can help you combat a variety of problems from muscle aches to chronic conditions and serious diseases.

Chiropractic is a wonderful source of care for everyone, helping ensure wellness and health for men and women, young and old. Chiropractic treatment can be particularly beneficial for women. New mothers and pregnant women, those who are overweight, have stressful lives, and those who need to strengthen their joints and back for physical activities such as sports, are prime candidates for regular chiropractic care.

We  specialize in providing routine chiropractic care to promote overall wellness for our patients. Also, many of those we care for are women who are experiencing specific physical needs that spinal re-alignment can improve or may completely resolve. In addition to expert spinal manipulation, we also can prove nutritional and exercise advice and lifestyle suggestions. Among the needs of women that we serve are:

Aging—Older women can suffer from osteoporosis, a condition where bones become porous and brittle. Some may also experience the onset of Alzheimer\’s Disease, which brings reduced mental function. Because chiropractic can help boost the strength and vitality of bones, joints, and muscles, as well as improve posture, it can upgrade the well-being of women with osteoporosis or even delay its onslaught. Chiropractic works by improving the communication along your body\’s nervous system. It can release disruptions that may cause organs and tissues to malfunction, improving overall health and sharpness.

Pain Reduction—A side effect of regular chiropractic care can be the relief of pain from osteoarthritis, which is a degenerative disease of the joints. By maintaining the normal nerve function of the body, chiropractic therapy can result in a reduction in inflammation and pain and may prevent further joint deterioration.
Women are ever more active, both in the workplace as well as at play. They may participate in sporting competitions or be asked to do physical manual labor on the job that all can affect the alignment of the spine and keep the body from functioning at its peak. Subluxations, or the misalignment of one or more vertebrae in the spine, can come from any number of causes, though, including the way you sleep, normal wear and tear, toxins, illness, and stress. Chiropractic can get a woman\’s body back in line, no matter the cause, without the use of pharmaceuticals or surgery.

Your Spine, Nerves & Hormones : The female sexual organs-the ovaries, oviducts (tubes), uterus, cervix, vagina, glands and related structures-all need a healthy nerve supply from the spine to function properly. Doctors of chiropractic help see that the sexual organ/spinal column relationship is a healthy one. Let’s discuss some of the common conditions associated with the female reproductive system.

The Chiropractic Approach : Though not a treatment for gynecological troubles, the chiropractic approach has been a blessing to countless women with such problems. Chiropractors correct the vertebral subluxation complex (a dangerous condition in your spine that interferes with the nervous system and causes a state of “dis-ease” or reduced health and wholeness) that can lead to disease.

“The Hysterectomy Hoax” : Hysterectomy, the amputation of the uterus, which may also include the removal of both tubes and both ovaries, is done to over 600,000 American women a year. Many are performed on women under 30. “These operations are almost always unnecessary,” says Nora W. Coffey, president of the HERS (Hysterectomy Education Resources and Services) Foundation. The pelvic and hip bones gradually widen; within the first year after a hysterectomy; women wear one or two sizes larger in pants and skirts as a result of the pelvic bones moving and broadening… this changes the alignment of the entire skeleton, often resulting in lower back, hip, and knee pain.

As Stanley West, M.D. has written in The Hysterectomy Hoax: “More than 90 percent of all hysterectomies are unnecessary. Worse, the surgery can have long-lasting physical, emotional, and sexual consequences that may undermine your health and well-being.” Doctors are not taught the true damage hysterectomy can cause: “I was taught that castration (removal of ovaries) does not affect a woman’s sexuality, but women tell quite another story”

POSTPARTUM CARE : After a baby is born, many women experience muscle pain while they heal. Spinal adjustment and stretches and exercises can help women improve their balance and coordination and reduce muscle tension in the days and weeks after delivery.

In addition, nutrition is very important for women who choose to breastfeed. Nutrition counseling from a chiropractic office can help new mothers consume the right mixture of fats, calories, vitamins and minerals. This can help women maintain good health and pass on good nutrition to their babies while breastfeeding is taking place.

The Dark Ages?

Hysterectomy may be necessary in cases of severe infection of the reproductive organs, necrotic (dead) tissue in the uterus and cancer that will not respond to more conservative care but most women who are told they need a hysterectomy may not. By the time a woman reaches age 65 the chances are 50 percent that she will have had one of these operations. “Hysterectomy should have been abandoned in the Dark Ages,” says Ms. Coffey

Menopause : Menopause is a time when hormones surge and change in the body. This can lead to a variety of symptoms including hot flashes, mood swings, changes in weight and other problems. Spinal adjustment can help regulate hormone production in the body, thus easing the transition from premenopausal to postmenopausal life.

Many doctors consider menopause a disease instead of a normal physiologic state. Because of this attitude, women are often subjected to drug therapies that may cause dangerous side effects. As Robert Mendelsohn, M.D. has stated: Since medical treatment for hot flashes (for) over five decades has proven to be more dangerous than the disease (what disease?), and since the latest non-hormonal treatment are no less frightening than their predecessors, my best advice to women with hot flashes is to stay away from the doctor. Talk to plenty of other women. Read books on the subject by women who are not doctors. If you must go to a doctor, remember that you are receiving experimental drugs whose side effects become more visible year after year.

Spinal Care : It is no coincidence that many who suffer from menstrual cramps also suffer from neck or back pain. In one study of 122 dysmenorrhea sufferers, most had lower back problems and spinal displacements. Perhaps that is why many women who initially visited a chiropractor for neck or back problems experienced beneficial effects on menstrual cramps, pain and other gynecological problems. There are, however, many women who suffer from menstrual problems and other health conditions who will not go to the chiropractor because: “If I don’t have a backache, why go to the chiropractor?” Because of this misperception that chiropractors are “backache doctors” many never receive the true benefits of chiropractic care.
Many organs other than the sexual ones are responsible for reproductive health. For example, chemicals produced by the ovaries and adrenal glands that are essential for reproduction are broken down by the liver. If the liver isn’t working properly, these chemicals can build up to unhealthy levels and cause fibroid tumors in the uterus (leiomyomas), which, although benign, account for at least one-third of all gynecological admissions to hospitals.

The Spine/Pelvis Relationship :For over a hundred years, many women who have suffered from a wide variety of pelvic and gynecological conditions-from pain to PMS-have discovered the natural benefits of chiropractic care. Patients have also observed that menopausal symptoms including depression, hot flashes, back or joint pain, irritability, headaches or fatigue have been reduced from chiropractic spinal care. Dr. J. E. Browning is a doctor of chiropractic who has written extensively on the chiropractic management of patients with pelvic problems. His clinical observations have led him to state that, “Various disturbances in pelvic organ function have been successfully managed by chiropractic … symptoms [include] bladder, bowel, gynecologic, and sexual dysfunction …”

HORMONE REGULATION :  Hormone regulation can be a challenge when a woman moves into the menopause stage. Changing hormones can affect a woman’s mood, comfort levels, energy levels and overall health. Chiropractic care like spinal adjustment can help a woman regulate her hormones during this period, by helping to ensure that signals from the brain are firing properly and being interpreted by the body as intended.

SENIOR CARE  :  When a woman is older, her body goes through a variety of changes that can have an affect on her comfort and health. Older women are at risk for arthritis, osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other conditions. Chiropractic care can help control pain from these conditions and can also help female patients stay healthy. For patients who have chronic conditions, spinal adjustment and stretches and exercises can help patients manage these conditions without use of addictive medications or invasive surgeries.

Conclusion : Many patients have found protection from unnecessary surgery, useless medication and needless suffering when they started to read drug product inserts. Remember, a healthy spinal column is essential for the health of the female reproductive system and it is vital for women with gynecological problems to have routine spinal checkups by a doctor of chiropractic. A chiropractic spinal examination could make all the difference between sickness and health.