Spinal Cord Injury-Induced Pain: Mechanisms and Treatments

Abstract

Pain is a common consequence of a spinal cord injury (SCI) and has a major impact on quality of life through its impact on physical function, mood and participation in work, recreational and social activities. Several types of pain typically present following SCI with central neuropathic pain being a frequent and difficult to manage occurrence. Despite advances in our understanding of the mechanisms contributing to this type of pain and an increasing number of trials examining treatment efficacy, our ability to relieve neuropathic SCI pain is still very limited. Optimal management relies upon an integrated approach that uses a combination of pharmacological and nonpharmacological options.

KEYWORDS :

• CNS
• management
• neuropathic
• pain
• spinal cord injuries

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors’ work is supported by grants from the NSW State Government. PJ Siddall is an author and JW Middleton a contributor to the book, The Spinal Cord Injury Pain Book, but neither has not received nor receives any royalties or other financial benefit from its sale. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

The authors’ work is supported by grants from the NSW State Government. PJ Siddall is an author and JW Middleton a contributor to the book, The Spinal Cord Injury Pain Book, but neither has not received nor receives any royalties or other financial benefit from its sale. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.