Comparative Analysis of Health Domains for Neuropathic Pain Patients

Active duty military members have significant service-related risks for developing pain from injury. Although estimates for neuropathic pain (NP) are available for civilian populations, the incidence and prevalence for NP in military members is less clear. Understanding correlates of pain in military members is vital to improving their physical, mental, and social health. Using a comparative design, a secondary analysis was conducted on longitudinal PASTOR data from 190 pain management center patients. The objectives were to compare trends in patient-reported outcomes over time between those screening positive and negative for NP (NP+, NP-, respectively) based on PROMIS Neuropathic Pain Scale T-scores. Findings showed improvements in fatigue, sleep-related impairment, and anger over time. There was a difference between those screening NP+ and NP- for sleep-related impairment, and the cross-level interaction effect showed sleep-related impairment worsening over time. These results emphasize the need to identify NP and implement and evaluate targeted therapies.