Association of musculoskeletal pain, fear-avoidance factors, and quality of life in active manual wheelchair users with SCI: A pilot study

This study examines the links between musculoskeletal pain, psychological factors like fear of movement, and quality of life in manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI). It aims to understand how these factors relate to each other, including activity levels and how long someone has had an SCI. The research involved 26 individuals with SCI who actively use manual wheelchairs. Participants completed questionnaires to assess their pain levels, fear of movement, pain catastrophizing, quality of life, and social interaction. The study found relationships between pain, psychological factors, and activity levels. For example, higher pain catastrophizing was linked to greater task-specific pain and reduced work hours, suggesting a complex relationship between physical and psychological well-being.

• 1
  A strong association was identified between pain catastrophizing and task-specific shoulder pain, indicating that psychological factors significantly influence the experience of pain during activities.
• 2
  Reduced work/school/volunteer hours were strongly associated with both increased task-specific pain and higher levels of pain catastrophizing, suggesting that pain and psychological factors limit activity.
• 3
  Higher subjective quality of life (SQoL) correlated with increased age and duration of injury but showed an inverse relationship with musculoskeletal pain, indicating that while adaptation occurs over time, pain still diminishes life quality.