Pain in Women A Clinical Guide

In Pain in Women: A Clinical Guide, a renowned group of experts in pain medicine breaks new ground in the field by synthesizing and elucidating the range of biological and neurohormonal factors underlying these conditions and clarifying potential treatment options based on these factors.

Women are affected by many chronic pain conditions in overwhelmingly greater numbers than are men. They are also at higher risk of disability due to pain in all age groups. Addressing this problem with a comprehensive and practical examination of the problem, Pain in Women: A Clinical Guide is an important contribution to the literature on sex-based differences in illness and pain in particular. Developed by a renowned group of experts in pain medicine, this practical, must-read title is designed not only to review the basics of the current understanding of the biological differences between the sexes when it comes to pain conditions, but also to provide clinicians in varying fields with a guide that helps elucidate the proposed neuroanatomical and neurophysiological mechanisms that are currently understood to underlie these differences. This title reviews in detail the pain conditions commonly encountered in women, covering, for example, special considerations in certain populations of female patients with pain, including the female athlete, those who are pregnant, postpartum, experiencing menopause, and survivors of breast cancer. A special chapter is dedicated to the issue of early life trauma and chronic pain. Finally, an entire chapter is devoted to discussion of the role that physical therapy plays in the treatment of pelvic pain. State-of-the-art and the definitive text on the topic, Pain in Women: A Clinical Guide will increase the confidence of all clinicians treating women with pain disorders and will improve the treatment of pain in women at all life stages.

Pain is a complex experience, influenced by many variables. There is currently growing interest in the influence of sex and gender on the experience of pain. The fact that there are sex differences in pain and analgesia is now a well-recognized phenomenon within the field of pain medicine. However, the specific mechanisms underlying these differences remain somewhat poorly understood. Traditionally, these sex differences in pain experience have been attributed largely to psychological, behavioral and socio-cultural variables - in particular, a perceived greater willingness on the part of women to report painful symptoms and seek medical attention. Although psychosocial factors do influence pain perception, there is now substantial evidence to support a strong role for hormonal factors mediating sex differences in pain modulation. In Pain in Women: A Clinical Guide, a renowned group of experts in pain medicine breaks new ground in the field by synthesizing and elucidating the range of biological and neurohormonal factors underlying these conditions and clarifying potential treatment options based on these factors. The initial section of this unique title introduces the topic of pain in women and its importance and then goes on to describe hormonal and myofascial considerations in this patient population. The second section addresses specific pain disorders common in women and the various treatment options for these, including rehabilitative and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments. The third and final section covers the specific populations of the pregnant/postpartum woman, issues related to breast cancer, the female athlete, menopausal considerations and the role of physical therapy in women’s health. Timely and state-of-the-art, Pain in Women: A Clinical Guide is an important new reference that fills a significant need in the developing area of pain medicine.