Women receiving worse treatment for back and neck pain
Women are receiving worse treatment for back and neck pain because their experiences are not factored into “male by default” clinical guidelines in the UK, research has found.
The NHS fails to acknowledge sex-specific considerations such as pain being more common among women in its model of care for non-surgical management of chronic neck and back pain, according to research from the University of Lancashire.
A major review of clinical guidance, published in the Physical Therapy Reviews journal, found that by consistently only referring to people, individuals or patients, clinical guidance in the UK ignores the role women’s different skeleton size, hormones, experience of pregnancy or menopause can play in musculoskeletal pain. Guidelines also ignore the different biological characteristics of intersex patients.
Lauren Haworth, research associate at the University of Lancashire and lead author of the study, said that considering sex-specific biology was important to deliver personalised, equitable healthcare.
“We know that large breasts can be heavy, and without adequate support this additional weight, combined with gravity, can cause strain on a woman’s body, which may contribute towards neck and back pain,” she said.
But she added that because existing guidance doesn’t acknowledge sex-based differences, “women may still be disadvantaged simply because their biological needs differ from those of men”.
Source: The Guardian, 11 March 2026
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