Most issues with the musculoskeletal system (bones, joints, and muscles) can happen to both men and women relatively equally. However, there are certain differences that do stand out based on gender.
Whereas females possess a much higher risk for ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries, males are predisposed to hand fractures and high-impact sports injuries. Let’s take a look at some of the tendencies toward orthopedic injuries and health conditions that happen more frequently, or more severely, to men than they do to women.
Orthopedic Health Conditions Commonly Seen in Men
In analyzing the frequency of musculoskeletal issues in men versus women, the men had much higher rates of the following:
Scheuermann’s Kyphosis
This is an exaggerated forward-leaning rounding of the upper back, often referred to as “hunchback.” It causes wedging of the vertebrae and irregular growth in the spine.
Some people with this condition have a severely rounded back but experience no pain; others have debilitating pain that requires surgery to repair and relieve. Scheuermann’s kyphosis appears most often in pubescent children and in older women with osteoporosis.
Malignant Hyperthermia
This potentially fatal condition creates a dangerously high body temperature, severe muscle spasms, and an extremely elevated heart rate when the patient has received anesthesia before surgery. Most people do not know they have it until or unless they have anesthesia before an operation and display these symptoms.
If a person has this condition, their first-degree relatives (parent, sibling, child) are at a 50% greater risk of also having this condition according to the Mayo Clinic. The issue does not always cause symptoms upon first exposure to anesthesia; symptoms may appear during a future surgical procedure.
Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease
This is a childhood hip disorder that appears much more often in males than it does in females. It occurs when the blood supply in the femoral head of the hip joint is disrupted, and the bone tissue actually begins to fail and die.
The initial sign of this condition is a limp. It normally affects one leg, rarely both legs. The femoral head will suffer degeneration; upon healing, the regenerated femoral head may be misshapen and cause pain in the patient, because the “ball” part does not fit properly into the hip joint.
Sufferers of Legg-Calve-Perthes disease tend to have a high risk of developing osteoarthritis later in life, because their bones will already have a propensity to degenerate.
Trauma and Sepsis
Survivors of major trauma who experienced extreme blood loss after the injury have a much higher mortality rate among men than women. Males are much more likely to suffer post-traumatic shock, infection, and organ failure than females are.
Orthopedic Provider in Watertown
There are many orthopedic conditions that can affect males in greater numbers than females. They have anatomical differences particularly in the pelvis and the knees, and they have varying degrees of tolerance to pain.
If you are suffering from any type of orthopedic injury, or if you are searching for a orthopedist in Upstate New York around the Watertown area, contact us today at North Country Orthopaedic Group. Call (315) 782-1650 or request an appointment online, and let us help you get back to your active lifestyle again!
