Objective: To identify the relative importance of positive (facilitators) and negative (barriers) contributors to living with chronic pain after spinal cord injury (SCI).
Design: Mixed-methods: (1) Qualitative (n=35): individual, semistructured, open-ended interviews identifying facilitator/barrier themes; (2) Quantitative (n=491): converting the most common themes into statements and quantifying agreement with these in an online survey to determine relative importance, underlying dimensions, and their associations with perceived difficulty in dealing with pain.
Setting: University-based research setting and general community.
Identifying clinical neuropathic pain phenotypes is a first step to better understand the underlying pain mechanisms after spinal cord injury (SCI). The primary purpose of the present study was to characterize multidimensional neuropathic pain phenotypes based on quantitative sensory testing (QST), pain intensity, and utilization of catastrophizing coping strategies. Thermal perception, thermal pain, and vibratory perception thresholds were assessed above and below the level of injury (LOI) in 101 persons with SCI and neuropathic pain, 18 persons with SCI and no neuropathic pain, and 50 able-bodied, pain-free controls.
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