Lab study, 2010
Does back pain get worse during the premenstrual period?
Back and leg pain was noticeably worse during the premenstrual period, with increased use of pain medication and rest needed.
What they did
Researchers studied 50 women with back and leg pain who had disc herniation visible on MRI. They measured pain severity in both the premenstrual and postmenstrual periods using a standard pain scale.
What they found
Pain was more severe during the premenstrual period. Women used more pain medication and needed more rest during the premenstrual period than during the postmenstrual period.
What it means for you
If you have a spine disc problem, your pain might temporarily worsen before your period. This should be considered when deciding whether surgery is needed. Doctors might want to wait to reassess you after your period. The main limit is this is a small study without a control group, and it only included women with disc herniation.
50
Women studied
About the study
- Original title
- Low back pain and sciatica related with the premenstrual period in patients with lumbar disc herniation
- Authors
- Akgun B, Kaplan M, Arici L et al.
- Journal
- Turkish neurosurgery
- Year
- 2010
- Study design
- Lab study
- What was tested
- None—observation only
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.5137/1019-5149.jtn.2898-10.1
Topics
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