Pain Symptom Profiles in Persons with Spinal Cord Injury

OBJECTIVE: Persistent pain is a common consequence of spinal cord injury. A patient-specific assessment that combines both the identification of pain symptoms and psychosocial factors is needed for a tailored treatment approach. The aim of the study was to define pain symptom profiles and to determine their relationship with psychosocial factors in persons with spinal cord injury. DESIGN: Face-to-face interview and examination. SETTING: VA Medical Center and Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Miami, Florida. PATIENTS: Persons with spinal cord injury (135 men and 21 women) provided detailed descriptions of 330 neuropathic pains. OUTCOME MEASURES: The American Spinal Injury Impairment Scale, pain history and measures of pain interference, life satisfaction, locus of control, social support and depression. RESULTS: The exploratory factor analyses and regression analyses revealed three distinct symptom profiles: 1) aching, throbbing pain, aggravated by cold weather and constipation predicted by a combination of chance locus of control and lower levels of life satisfaction; 2) stabbing, penetrating, and constant pain of high intensity predicted by a combination of pain interference, localized pain, powerful others locus of control and depressed mood; and 3) burning, electric, and stinging pain aggravated by touch and muscle spasms predicted by pain interference. CONCLUSIONS: Although these results need to be replicated in other spinal cord injury samples, our findings suggest that pain symptom profiles may be a useful way to further characterize pain in a comprehensive assessment strategy.