Preface

Never underestimate the power of a woman. I saw this on a T-shirt once while visiting the College of William and Mary, except that T-shirt also read: The College of Mary and William. Being a young and impressionable woman at the time, I wore that T-shirt until the holes became a bad fashion statement, barely covering the necessary parts. The T-shirt may be gone, but the saying continues to resonate within me. Never underestimate the power of a woman.

Now, as a physician twenty years later, I am conditioned to underestimate the power of being a woman. Very little research is dedicated to studying women’s health. However, a gradual onset of awareness for women’s health issues has taken place over the past two decades. Breast cancer and cervical cancer have become common household topics as the television blares pharmaceutical companies’ wares for treatment. Usually, these commercials air during Oprah or The Today Show. Men get their prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction commercials during the huge array of sporting events. But cancer and erections are not the only subjects that need gender-specific discussion. Let’s talk about the spine.

In the past ten years, I have been a spine care specialist. My practice is filled with women in pain. Sure, I see the occasional male, but the ratio of women to men in spine care practices around the country would make you believe that the male species is rare indeed. If more women have spine pain than men, why isn’t there more research dedicated to the study of women with spine pain?

To answer that question, I remember the look on my husband’s face when I mentioned that I would write a book about spine care for women. His response was, “Is there a difference?” The response was concerning because, like it or not, many leading spine researchers and caregivers are men. Would they have the same puzzled response as my husband? Are women getting generic treatment for their pain? I hope not, because men and women are different. Those differences have lead researchers to focus on the female spine. Those differences should cause clinicians to address the specific needs of women. Spine care needs to be gender-specific.

Being one of those women with chronic low back pain, I know all too well how my female gender influences my pain. I have struggled and sacrificed in order to bring the discomfort under control. The concepts that I would like to present here are derived not only from evidence-based medicine but also from my experiences as a woman with spine pain and as a physician who treats it. Never underestimate what the power of being a woman does to your spine.