Abstract
Objective: Persistent pain is a common consequence of spinal cord injury. A patient-specific assessment that combines both the identification of pain symptoms and psychosocial factors is needed for a tailored treatment approach. The aim of the study was to define pain symptom profiles and to determine their relationship with psychosocial factors in persons with spinal cord injury. Design: Face-to-face interview and examination. Setting: VA Medical Center and Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Miami, Florida. Patients: Persons with spinal cord injury (135 men and 21 women) provided detailed descriptions of 330 neuropathic pains. Outcome Measures: The American Spinal Injury Impairment Scale, pain history and measures of pain interference, life satisfaction, locus of control, social support and depression. Results: The exploratory factor analyses and regression analyses revealed three distinct symptom profiles: 1) aching, throbbing pain, aggravated by cold weather and constipation predicted by a combination of chance locus of control and lower levels of life satisfaction; 2) stabbing, penetrating, and constant pain of high intensity predicted by a combination of pain interference, localized pain, powerful others locus of control and depressed mood; and 3) burning, electric, and stinging pain aggravated by touch and muscle spasms predicted by pain interference. Conclusions: Although these results need to be replicated in other spinal cord injury samples, our findings suggest that pain symptom profiles may be a useful way to further characterize pain in a comprehensive assessment strategy.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1246-1259 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Pain Medicine |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 1 2009 |
Keywords
- Chronic Pain
- Life Interference
- Multidimensional Pain Inventory
- Pain Interference
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Symptom Profiles
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Neurology
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
- Medicine(all)