A prospective study of pain and psychological functioning following traumatic spinal cord injury

Longitudinal study.

To study prospectively pain characteristics, change in pain over time and the associations between pain and psychological functioning in adults with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI).

Neurosurgical departments, SCI rehabilitation centres and the community.

Adults with traumatic SCI admitted over a 3-year period to two neurosurgical departments underwent clinical examination and questionnaires within 3 months after injury (baseline) and at 6, 12 and 42 months following SCI. Pain intensity and interference within the last 7 days, a global quality of life (QoL) item, the 5-item Mental Health Index and the 6-item Catastrophizing scale were used.

Ninety individuals were recruited, of which 81 completed a telephone interview on average 3.5 (s.d., 0.6) years after the SCI. Pain was present in 75% at 3.5 years. Baseline pain catastrophizing scores did not predict pain intensity at 3.5 years. Both psychological functioning and QoL increased over time. QoL scores increased less in participants who reported an increase in pain intensity from baseline to the 3.5-year follow-up, and the change in QoL score correlated with the change in pain interference. Neuropathic pain had an onset within the first 12 months and tended to become persistent, whereas musculoskeletal pain more often had a late onset or resolved in cases of early onset.

A large proportion of SCI participants continue to experience pain many years after SCI. Teaching individuals with SCI skills to minimise pain's impact on function as soon as possible following injury may prove beneficial.