Men and women differ in a lot of ways including how they report pain. Women are 1.38 times more likely than men to report neck pain because of cervical degenerative disc disease (DDD), a new study found.

Researchers from the Loyola Medicine's Pain Management Center presented the results of their study at the American Academy of Pain Management annual meeting in Palm Springs, California. The study sheds light on the possible differences of how men and women experience pain.

Meda Raghavendra and Joseph Holtman, from the Loyola University Medical Center and the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, studied more than 3,300 patients who were under treatment at the center between 2012 and 2014. About 61 percent of the patients were women.

Based on their findings, they found that 133 patients suffer from cervical DDD. This disease is a common cause of neck pain and it is frequently felt as a stiff neck.

Of the 133 patients, 91 are women and they are more likely to report neck pain than men regardless of age and cigarette smoking. About 4.5 percent of women reported neck pain compared to just 3.3 percent of men. Men suffering from cervical DDD are three times more likely to be obese.

Women may report neck pain more than men because of hormonal differences and because men are less willing to report pain.

A similar study was conducted by the team but it focused more on lumbosacral pain or lower back pain. They also gathered data from patients being treated at the center and found that 12 percent of women and 11 percent of men reported lower back pain or lumbosacral DDD. Though the prevalence is slightly higher in women, this difference was not statistically significant.

What Is Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease?

This condition is usually a result of aging. It involves the degeneration of the discs particularly in the moving sections of the spine like the cervical and lumbar areas. In some people, however, the degeneration or aging of the discs occurs more rapidly or prematurely.

Common signs and symptoms include neck pain when sitting upright or moving the head. It can be reduced by lying down or reclining. Some people may experience burning, tingling, numbness and pain in the areas affected. Headaches can also result from this condition.

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