Pain and quality of life in athletes vs non-athletes with spinal cord injury: Observational study

Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) may cause non-motor symptoms, such as chronic pain, which impair quality of life (QoL)Objective: To investigate the relationship between adapted competitive sports, pain, and QoL in people with SCI in a limited resources setting population.Methods: This prospective cross-sectional observational study involved 16 athletes and 24 non-athletes with SCI and collected data on demographic and clinical variables including scores for pain and pain interference in daily life (Brief Pain Inventory, BPI), neuropathic pain severity (Neuropathic Pain Symptoms Inventory, NPSI) and Quality of life (Word Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment, WHOQOL-BREF). Non-parametric testing was used to compare the groups, and due to athletes being younger, multiple linear regression analyses were used to adjust for the effect of sports practice on the outcome variables when adjusting for age.Results: Athletes were younger (median age 36y) than non-athletes (median age 41.5y; Mann-Whitney U test P = 0.011), and QoL was superior in athletes for the Physical, Psychological, Social Relationships, Self-Evaluation domains, and Total Score when adjusted for age (P < 0.01). Despite having no significant differences in pain intensity scores (NPSI, P = 0.742 and BPI, P = 0.261) athletes had less pain interference on "Relationship with Others", "Enjoyment of Life", and Total score (P < 0.05). Participation in competitive adapted sports (P = 0.004) and Total Pain Interference (P = 0.043) were significantly associated with QoL scores in the multiple linear regression analyses.Conclusion: Athletes with SCI have better QoL and less pain interference in some aspects of life when compared to non-athletes.