Capsaicin 8% Patch for Spinal Cord Injury Focal Neuropathic Pain, a Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Pain Management
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Neuropathic pain (NP) following spinal cord injury (SCI) significantly impairs quality of life (QOL) and is challenging to treat.
• Up-regulation of TRPV 1 proteins is a proposed mechanism contributing to NP after SCI.
• Patients often prioritize pain relief over functional recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of the capsaicin 8% patch (C8P) in improving pain, function, and QOL in individuals with SCI-related NP.
• To test the hypothesis that C8P can alleviate refractory NP in SCI patients.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, single-blind, crossover study involving 11 participants with SCI and refractory NP.
• Participants received either C8P or a control capsaicin 0.025% patch (CON) for two 12-week periods.
• Pain (VAS, MPI-SCI), QOL (WHO-QOL), and functional status (SCIM) were assessed at regular intervals.

Main Results:

• C8P demonstrated a significant treatment effect over CON, reducing pain by 35% at week 2 and 29% at week 4 (VAS and MPI-SCI).
• The SCIM mobility subscale showed improvement with C8P compared to the control.
• No significant improvement in WHO-QOL scores was observed with C8P treatment.

Conclusions:

• The capsaicin 8% patch (C8P) is effective in alleviating refractory neuropathic pain and enhancing mobility in patients with spinal cord injury.
• Further research with larger cohorts is warranted to explore the effects of repeat C8P applications and its impact on QOL.