I am the mother of two teenagers, a girl (15 years old) and a boy (13). I notice that my daughter seems to have back pain much more often than my son. This does not seem to be related to her menstrual cycle. Is this common?

 When doctors talk about back pain in adolescents, they often say, “It isn’t common, but it isn’t uncommon.” Put another way, teenagers do get back pain, but not nearly as often as adults. Girls and women seem to have more problems with low back pain than boys and men. There is a known connection between back pain and premenstrual and menstrual cycles, but just as many girls have back pain at other times of the month.

The reasons for gender differences are unclear. Differences may be due to anatomy, or the wider hip structure in girls. There may be differences because of the greater joint mobility observed in girls. Researchers are actively seeking ways to prevent low back pain in all groups.