Cited by 407Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationSex and Gender in HealthcareFibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders is systematically higher in women than in men

Wijnhoven, Hanneke A. H., de Vet, Henrika C. W., Picavet, H. Susan J.·2006·The Clinical Journal of Pain

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Many studies report a higher prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in women than in men. This paper presents an overview of sex differences in musculoskeletal pain with specific attention for: different parameters for duration of musculoskeletal pain (ie, 1-y period prevalence, point prevalence, prevalence of chronic pain, and prevalence of persistent chronic pain); and (2) different anatomic pain sites. METHODS: For the analyses, data from 2 general population-based prospective surveys (Dutch population-based Musculoskeletal Complaints and Consequences Cohort study and Monitoring Project on Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases-study) were used. The study population consisted of persons aged 25 to 64 years living in the Netherlands. Data on self-reported pain complaints were assessed by written questionnaires. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that prevalence rates of musculoskeletal pain were higher for women than for men in the Dutch general population aged 25 to 64 years on the basis of 2 population-based surveys. For musculoskeletal pain in any location, 39% of men and 45% of women reported chronic complaints. Highest female predominance was found for the hip and wrist/hand, whereas lowest and not statistically significant sex differences were found for the lower back and knee. All duration parameters of musculoskeletal pain showed a female predominance of musculoskeletal pain (1-y period prevalence, point prevalence, prevalence of chronic pain, and prevalence of persistent chronic pain). In those with persistent chronic pain, women tended to report higher severity scores. DISCUSSION: The present study shows that women have higher prevalence rates of musculoskeletal pain in most anatomic pain sites, no matter the duration of musculoskeletal pain. Future research should focus on explaining these sex differences with the ultimate goal to develop better prevention and management strategies for musculoskeletal pain in both men and women.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1097/01.ajp.0000210912.95664.53

Cites

20 of 20 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Studies show changes in functional connectivity in chronic pain patients.

    “Further, studies show changes in functional connectivity in chronic pain patients.”
  • Studies of the brain's default mode network and other resting-state networks suggest long-lasting functional brain changes related to chronic pain.

    “studies of the brain’s default mode network and other resting state networks suggest long-lasting functional brain changes related to the presence of chronic pain 379, 384–387.”

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Wijnhoven, H. A. H., de Vet, H. C. W., & Picavet, H. S. J.
Affiliations
National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (NL)
Corresponding author
  • Wijnhoven, Hanneke A. H.
  • Picavet, H. Susan J.
Venue
The Clinical Journal of Pain
Published
2006-10
Volume
22
Issue
8
Pages
717-724
ISSN
0749-8047 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1985670285
Cited by
406
References
19
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 29 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 22
FWCI
7.06
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Clinical Journal of Pain (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Amsterdam UMC (VU Amsterdam) - Institutional Repository (publishedVersion)
  • VU Research Portal (publishedVersion)
  • Pure Amsterdam UMC (submittedVersion)
  • Rivm Repository (Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Sex and Gender in Healthcare
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
Keywords
musculoskeletal pain, sex differences, prevalence, chronic pain, pain duration, hip pain, wrist and hand pain, low back pain, knee pain, pain intensity, women
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Musculoskeletal Diseases, Netherlands, Pain, Risk Factors, Sex Factors, Comorbidity, Prevalence, Sex Distribution, Risk Assessment

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review