Experienced pain after stroke: a cross-sectional 5-year follow-up study

Stroke is one of the most common cause of disability worldwide. Pain is common in both stroke survivors and in the general population. Consequences of post-stroke pain (PSP) include reduced quality of life and are important to consider. The aim of the current study was to explore the experience of pain 5 years after stroke, and factors associated with the experience of pain.

Inclusion criteria were: First ever stroke, treated at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden, during an 18 months period in 2009-2010, aged 18 years or older. Furthermore, the participants had to respond to a set of questionnaires 5 years post-stroke. Baseline data were collected from medical records and follow-up data from the set of questionnaires. The primary outcome was based on the question Do you experience pain? Predictors and explanatory factors for experiencing more frequent pain were analysed with logistic regression.

A total of 281 participants were included. Almost 40% experienced pain to some degree 5 years post-stroke (15% reported pain frequently), and 25% felt that their needs for pain treatment were not met. The participants experiencing more frequent pain reported poorer quality of life, self-perceived health status and recovery post-stroke. Functional dependency at discharge from hospital, experiencing depression at follow up and restricted mobility at follow up were all associated with more frequent pain.

Pain is common 5 years post-stroke and the treatment is not perceived as optimal. The persons experiencing more frequent pain seem to rate their health and recovery worse than the persons experiencing less frequent pain. Most of the factors associated with more frequent pain were treatable and this emphasize the importance of standardised follow-up care that takes pain into consideration.