Pain Following Spinal Cord Injury

Pain following spinal cord trauma is common and frequently perplexing as multiple etiologies can confuse the diagnosis. Neuropathic pain from spinal cord damage is frequent, occurring in up to 40% of patients. However, autonomic and musculoskeletal pain generators are also common.

Neuropathic pain - pseudarthrosis - syringomyelia - spinal cord injury

REFERENCES

• 1 Turner J, Cardenas D D, Warms C A, McClellan C B. Chronic pain associated with spinal cord injuries: a community survey.  Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2001;  82 501-509
• 2 Nepomuceno C, Fine P, Richards J, Gowens H. Pain in patients with spinal cord injury.  Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1979;  60 605-609
• 3 Ravenscroft A, Ahmad Y, Burside I. Chronic pain after spinal cord injury: a patient survey.  Spinal Cord. 2000;  38 611-614
• 4 Green B, Eismont F, O'Heir J. Spinal cord injury-a systems approach: prevention, emergency medical services, and emergency room management.  Crit Care Clin. 1987;  3 471-493
• 5 Widerstrom-Noga E, Felipe-Cuervo E, Yezierski R. Chronic pain after spinal injury: interference with sleep and daily activities.  Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2001;  82 1571-1577
• 6 Widerstrom-Noga E, Felipe-Cuervo E, Yezierski R. Relationship among clinical characteristics of chronic pain after spinal cord injury.  Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2001;  82 1191-1197
• 7 Siddal P, Taylor D, McCleland J, Ruthowski S. Pain report and the relationship of pain to physical factors in the first 6 months following spinal cord injury.  Pain. 1999;  81 187-197
• 8 Siddal P, Loeser J. Pain following spinal cord injury.  Spinal Cord. 2001;  39 63-73
• 9 Rintala D, Loubser P, Castro J, Hart K. Chronic pain in a community based sample of men with spinal cord injury: prevalence, severity, and relationship with impairment disability handicap and subjective well being.  Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1998;  79 604-614
• 10 Mariano A. Chronic pain and spinal cord injury.  Clin J Pain. 1992;  8 87-92
• 11 David L, Martin J. Studies upon spinal cord injury: the nature and treatment of pain.  J Neurosurg. 1947;  4 483-491
• 12 Davis R. Pain and suffering following spinal cord injury.  Clin Orthop. 1975;  112 76-80
• 13 Botterell E, Callaghan J, Jousse A. Pain in paraplegia: clinical management and surgical treatment.  Proc R Soc Med. 1953;  47 281-288
• 14 Rose M, Robinson J, Ells P, Cole J. Pain following spinal cord injury: results from a postal survey.  Pain. 1988;  34 101-102
• 15 Stormer S, Gerner H, Gruninger W et al.. Chronic pain/dysaesthesia in spinal cord injury patients: results of a multicentre study.  Spinal Cord. 1997;  35 446-455
• 16 Turner J, Gardens D. Chronic pain problems in individuals with spinal cord injuries.  Semin Clin Neuropsychiatry. 1999;  4 186-194
• 17 Kaplan L, Grynbaum B, Lloyd K, Pask H. Pain and spasticity in patients with spinal cord injury.  JAMA. 1962;  182 918-925
• 18 Fenollosa P, Pallares J, Cervera J, Palegrin F, Inigo V. Chronic pain in the spinal cord injured: statistical approach and pharmacologic treatment.  Paraplegia. 1993;  31 722-729
• 19 Demirel G, Yllmaz H, Gencosmanoglue B, Kesiktas N. Pain following spinal cord injury.  Spinal Cord. 1998;  36 25-28
• 20 Wagner A, Stenehhjem A, Kvalvik S. Pain and life quality within 2 years of spinal cord injury.  Paraplegia. 1995;  33 585-594
• 21 Curt A, Nitsche B, Rodic B, Schurch B, Dietz V. Assessment of autonomic dysreflexia in patients with spinal cord injury.  J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1997;  62 473-477
• 22 Tasker R, DeCarvalho G, Dolan E. Intractable pain of spinal cord origin: clinical features and implications for surgery.  J Neurosurg. 1992;  77 373-378
• 23 Gorecki J. DREZ and spinal cord injury pain. In 3rd IASP Research Symposium Phoenix, AZ; 2001
• 24 Kim S, Tasker R, Oh M. Spinal cord stimulation for nonspecific limb pain versus neuropathic pain and spontaneous versus evoked pain.  Neurosurgery. 2001;  48 1056-1068
• 25 Burchiel K, Hsu F. Pain and spasticity after spinal cord injury.  Spine. 2001;  26 S146-S160
• 26 Siddal P, Yezierski R, Loeser J. Pain following SCI: clinical features, prevalence, and taxonomy.  IASP Newslett. 2000;  3 3-7
• 27 Johnson R, Gerhart K, McCray J, Menconi J C, Whiteneck G G. Secondary conditions following spinal cord injury in a population-based sample.  Spinal Cord. 1998;  36 45-50
• 28 Lal S. Premature degenerative shoulder changes in spinal cord injury patients.  Spinal Cord. 1998;  36 186-189
• 29 Sinnott K, Milburn P, McNaughton H. Factors associated with thoracic spinal cord injury, lesion level and rotator cuff disorders.  Spinal Cord. 2000;  38 748-753
• 30 Castillo M, Quencer R, Green B, Montalvo B. Syringomyelia as a consequence of compressive extramedullary lesions: postoperative clinical and radiological manifestations.  AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1988;  150 391-396
• 31 Quencer R, Sheldon J, Post M et al.. MRI of the chronically injured cervical spinal cord.  AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1986;  147 125-132
• 32 Rossier A, Foo D. Posttraumatic cervical syringomyelia.  Brain. 1985;  108 439-461
• 33 Lee T, Arias J, Andrus H, Quencer R, Falcone S, Green B. Progressive posttraumatic myelomalacic myelopathy: treatment with untethering and expansile duraplasty.  J Neurosurg. 1997;  86 624-628
• 34 Falcone S, Quencer R, Green B, Patchen S, Post M. Progressive posttraumatic myelomalacic myelopathy: imaging and clinical features.  AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 1994;  15 747-754
• 35 Lee T, Alameda G, Green B, Gromelski E. Outcome after surgical treatment of progressive posttraumatic cystic myelopathy.  J Neurosurg. 2000;  92 149-154
• 36 Friedman A, Bullitt E. Dorsal root entry zone lesions in the treatment of pain following brachial plexus avulsion spinal cord injury and herpes zoster.  Appl Neurophysiol. 1988;  51 164-169
• 37 Edgar R, Best L, Quail P, Oest A. Computer-assisted DREZ microcoagulation: posttraumatic spinal deafferentation pain.  J Spinal Disord. 1993;  6 48-56
• 38 Summers J, Rapoff M, Varghese G, Porter K. Psychosocial factors in chronic spinal cord injury.  Pain. 1991;  47 183-189