Assessment of neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury using quantitative pain drawings

Spinal Cord, 2021 · DOI: 10.1038/s41393-021-00616-6 · Published: February 16, 2021

Simple Explanation

This study focuses on a new way to measure pain in people with spinal cord injuries using pain drawings. It checks if these drawings give consistent results. The study found that these pain drawings are a reliable way to measure how much area is affected by pain after a spinal cord injury. The area of pain shown in the drawings was also related to the loss of feeling, which could help doctors understand the causes of pain after spinal cord injury.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

20 individuals with chronic thoracic spinal cord injury and neuropathic pain

Evidence Level

Cross-sectional cohort study

Key Findings

1
Pain extent showed excellent inter-session reliability (intraclass correlation coefﬁcient 0.96).
2
Sensory loss quantiﬁed by light touch and pinprick sensation was associated with larger pain extent
3
There was no signiﬁcant correlation between extent and intensity of NP (r = 0.33, p = 0.15).

Research Summary

This study assessed the reliability of standardized quantitative pain drawings in patients with neuropathic pain (NP) following spinal cord injury (SCI). The average extent [%] and intensity [NRS 0–10] of spontaneous NP were 11.3% (IQR 4.9–35.8) and 5 (IQR 3–7), respectively. Assessing pain extent using quantitative pain drawings is readily feasible and reliable in human SCI.

Practical Implications

Improved Pain Assessment

Quantitative pain drawings offer a reliable method for assessing pain extent in SCI patients, enhancing clinical evaluations.

Insights into Pathophysiology

The correlation between pain extent and sensory deficits provides valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain after SCI.

Clinical Trial Outcome Measure

Quantitative pain drawings can serve as a potential outcome measure in clinical trials for SCI, aiding in the differentiation of treatment effects.

Study Limitations

1
The presence of musculoskeletal pain below the neurological level of injury cannot be con- clusively ruled out and may contribute to the clinical pain phenotype.
2
there is currently no hard-and-fast algorithm on how to disentangle neuropathic from musculoskeletal pain below the neurolo- gical level of injury.
3
A notable strength of this study is the rigorous exclusion of concurrent peripheral nerve damage and comorbidities

Your Feedback

Was this summary helpful?

Back to Spinal Cord Injury