"Research consistently shows that women experience more MSK pain than men, have it taken less seriously, and are more likely to receive delayed or inadequate treatment compared to men." In Part 3 of this month's focus 'Understanding Pain in 2026' on the STA Clinician Podcast, host Matt Phillips is joined by special guest Dr.Rachel Dewar-Haggart, who discusses the '𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐚𝐩' that we see across multiple domains, including prevalence of MSK conditions, pain severity, diagnostic delays, treatment disparities, and healthcare‑provider bias. The episode discusses biological factors like hormones, the impact of diagnostic overshadowing, racial and socioeconomic disparities, and the need for better clinician communication, continuity of care, and pelvic health support. Practical recommendations include listening, validating patient experiences, asking about menstrual and life-course factors, promoting continuity and pelvic health services, and acknowledging when answers aren’t known while working collaboratively on management strategies. Dr.Rachel Dewar-Haggart is a Postdoctoral Qualitative Researcher within the Medical Sociology & Health Experiences Research Group at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford. Chapter Markers 00:00:00 - Welcome to the STA Clinician Podcast 00:04:40 - Introducing special guest Dr. Rachel Dewar-Haggett 00:09:08 - Understanding the Gender Pain Gap 00:16:31 - The Impact of Hormones on Pain 00:21:46 - Diagnostic Overshadowing in Women’s Health 00:30:09 - Unconscious Bias in Pain Perception 00:39:09 - The Importance of Listening 00:51:24 - Cultural Influences on Pain Perception 00:59:57 - Conclusion and Future Discussions Useful Links Dr Rachel Dewar-Haggart: contact via University of Southampton website Henrietta Lacks - BBC Article The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Book on Amazon UK Sports Therapy Association Website Other Episodes Part 1 - Ep.272 with Dr. Bronnie Lennox Thompson and Ben Whybrow - 'An Introduction to Understanding pain in 2026' Part 2 - Ep.273 with special guests Prof Dave Newell and Anna Maria Mazzieri - 'Predictive Processing & Active Inference' Part 4 Wed Feb 25th with special guest Dr. Rachel Zoffness, Pain scientist, International Speaker, Science Writer, with her new book “Tell Me Where It Hurts” coming out March 26th Want to join the live recordings? Episodes of the STA Clinician Podcast are recorded live every TUESDAY at 8pm on the Sports Therapy Association YOUTUBE CHANNEL and FACEBOOK page. Everyone is welcome - you do not have to be an STA member! If you cannot join us live, be sure to subscribe to the 'Sports Therapy Association Podcast' on all popular podcast apps to be notified when new episodes are available. Interested in joining the STA? Use the code PODCAST25 to get 3 MONTHS EXTRA when you join for a single year! In other words, £75 will get you 15 months instead of 12! Only valid for NEW members. If you are Level 3 (qualified after 2014) make sure you choose the ‘associate member’ option.

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