Are You a Woman Searching for a Back Dr Near You in New Jersey?

1. Piriformis Syndrome

Piriformis syndrome refers to pain caused by spasms in your piriformis muscle, a large muscle situated right in your buttock. The hormonal and pregnancy-related changes that women go through over the course of their lives can affect the pelvic area, so women tend to be more affected by piriformis syndrome than men are.

Piriformis syndrome also puts pressure on the sciatic nerve, leading to nerve inflammation or compression and resembling sciatica pain. Common symptoms of piriformis syndrome include, but are not limited to:

• Chronic pain in the buttocks and hips, which becomes worse with movement
• Morning pain, especially once you get out of bed
• Not being able to sit for an extended period of time
• Pain radiating in the back of your leg

Oftentimes, it was found part of these symptoms can get better if you lie on your back, reducing pressure.

2. Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

Sacroiliac joint dysfunction refers to pain in the sacroiliac (SI) joint, which is responsible for connecting the bottom of your spine to your pelvis. In fact, SI joint dysfunction is one of the most common causes of lower back pain.

Women’s SI joint surface area is usually smaller than men’s, and because of that, stress concentration on the joint becomes much higher. In women, the sacrum is often broader, more uneven, less curved, and bent more backwards, which can also contribute to developing SI joint problems. These and other anatomical differences may increase the risk of SI joint misalignment, particularly in younger women.

Common symptoms of SI joint dysfunction include:

• Pain in the lower back
• A dull pain across the buttock, which can evolve into a very sharp pain at times
• A shooting pain down your thigh, usually above the knee, which often feels like stabbing

3. Spinal Osteoarthritis

Women are more likely than men to suffer from wear and tear arthritis, also known as osteoarthritis, which affects the facet joints, responsible for connecting the vertebrae. Additionally, as one’s age and/or weight increase, so does the risk. This can quickly prompt you to visit a spine surgeon in order to find proper help. Disc replacement is a common form of treatment for degenerative back conditions.

The fibrous cartilage in the facet joints breaks down as a result of spinal osteoarthritis. When this happens, your bones can rub together, causing pain because they no longer have the cushioning the cartilage provides.

Common symptoms of spinal osteoarthritis include:

• Pain in the upper or lower back
• Pain in the groin, buttock, and thighs
• Back stiffness, especially in the morning
• Occasional episodes of severe pain
• Pain that increases with external pressure

4. Degenerative Spondylolisthesis

Degenerative spondylolisthesis occurs when a vertebra in the spine slides over the one right below it as an effect of disc degeneration. Because of lower estrogen levels, the disorder is more common in postmenopausal women.

When estrogen levels are low, the vertebral discs degrade faster, and the ligaments that keep the vertebrae together tend to loosen, resulting in spinal dysfunction. Postmenopausal women also have a higher prevalence of associated spinal osteoarthritis, which increases the risk of vertebral slippage. In some cases, visiting a specialist in spine and orthopaedic surgery is the only way to get rid of the pain once and for all.

Symptoms of degenerative spondylolisthesis can include:

• Pain in the lower back, sometimes radiating towards your legs
• Pain while walking, due to the spinal cord getting compressed
• Pain relief when bending forward

5. Coccydynia

Coccydynia is also known as tailbone pain and affects the coccyx structure. Trauma is the most common cause of pain in the coccyx, which is the tail-like bone structure at the end of your spine. Because of variations in the form and angle of the pelvis, or sometimes due to injury during childbirth, this condition is more common in women.

What the coccyx does is it helps support your body’s weight while sitting, so an injury to this bone can cause severe and long-term damage. If this happens, you are most likely to experience pain while sitting down, leaning backward, getting up after sitting down for a long time or sitting on harsh surfaces.

6. Spinal Osteoporosis Fractures

Osteoporosis occurs when the density of the bone reduces, rendering your bone structure fragile and prone to fracture. Osteoporosis develops when bone growth happens at a lower rate than bone loss. In their postmenopausal years, women are four times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis, probably due to high estrogen deficiency.

Osteoporosis can cause bone pain, but it is most often associated with compression fractures in the spine, which lead to acute back pain. This condition can become a real medical emergency if it increases in severity.

Certain back afflictions are more common in women than they are in men. If you suspect that you are suffering from one of the conditions described, schedule an appointment with one of our Harvard-trained back doctors in New Jersey. You can find us in Paramus on Route 17, near the Paramus Park Mall, in Clifton, NJ, on Route 46 E, past the Ford dealership, in West Orange, near the Essex Country Club, and in Woodland Park, on McBride Avenue.