Sex differences in muscle pain: self-care behaviors and effects on daily activities.
Women have a higher prevalence of fibromyalgia and myofascial pain than men, but sex differences in muscle pain are inconsistently detected. We examined sex differences in ratings and effects of recalled and experimentally-induced muscle pain. In study 1 (n = 188), participants completed a questionnaire about recalled muscle pain. In study 2 (n = 55), participants described muscle pain from an exercise stimulus across 3 days by telephone. Muscle pain ratings, self-care behaviors for muscle pain, and effects of muscle pain on activities were measured. No significant sex differences were found except that women tended to view exercise as more effective for decreasing muscle pain than men (F (1, 187) = 5.43, P = .02, eta(2) = .03), fewer women performed exercise for induced muscle pain than men, and women's activity interference was significantly higher than men's at the third day after exercise (F (2, 42) = 6.54, P = .01, eta(2) = .14). These findings support the absence of meaningful sex differences in muscle pain ratings. However, additional investigations are needed that consider the daily activities completed by people and the prevalence and incidence of performing a wide range of self-care behaviors for pain.


CONCLUSIONS
These studies support that sex differences are not present in recalled and experimentally-induced muscle pain ratings. Therefore, we must be cautious about generalizing the musculoskeletal pain literature to muscle pain. Additional research is needed to interpret potential sex differences in self-care behaviors for muscle pain and activity interference from muscle pain.
Dannecker
Erin A
EA
Department of Physical Therapy, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211-4250, USA. danneckere@missouri.edu
Knoll
Victoria
V
Robinson
Michael E
ME
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010146:Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011594:Psychometrics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires