Understanding chronic pain after spinal cord injury

Survivors of spinal cord injury (SCI) have a range of sensory experiences following the trauma. Acute pain commonly accompanies the injury and recedes as healing occurs. Following the initial event, most spinal cord-injured individuals experience phantom sensations and many suffer chronic pain. In extreme cases, chronic pain can become the most disabling sequela, leading to chemical dependency, severe depression and even suicide. Pain arising from injury to peripheral and central neural structures possesses unique characteristics that distinguish it from persisting acute pain and phantom sensations. Ironically, it is experienced in regions of the body that are anesthetic or possess diminished or altered sensation as a consequence of the injury. The qualitative features of the pain have been linked to structural and functional alterations that have been documented in peripheral and central neural structures following SCI. An understanding of these unique relationships provides direction for future research.