earticle

영어

Chronic pain may be one of major challenging factors to interfere the functional recovery and rehabilitation of persons with spinal cord injury, regardless either incomplete or complete paralysis. Hence, it needs to provide a literature review for establishing optimal protocol and guideline of treatment and management of chronic pain after spinal cord injury. The aims of this study were to describe prevalence, classification, assessment, and therapeutic intervention of chronic pain after spinal cord injury by reviewing literatures. Severity and quality of the pain might not be different depending on the completeness and level of injury. Types of pain can be classified into ‘nocioceptive pain’, ‘neuropathic pain’, and ‘unknown pain’. Musculoskeletal pain is most prevalent in patients with spinal cord injury, followed by neuropathic and visceral pains. In general, clinical decision-making process to decrease chronic pain of spinal cord injury should depend on the types of pain. Use of valid and refined assessment tools are imperative to build the efficacy of treatment and management of chronic pain, and prevent the complications of chronic pain. Despite the lack of evidence of pharmacological management, medication has been known to be beneficial to control pain condition following spinal cord injury. In addition, physical therapy, including therapeutic exercise and massage, stimulation of central nerve system such as brain and spinal cord injury, and acupuncture may be favorable therapeutic options to reduce the perceived level of pain. Based on biopsychosocial mechanisms of chronic pain, psychological interventions is helpful to develop coping strategies, cognitive-behavioral treatments, and social supports. Therefore, clinicians are necessary to include pain control management in creating rehabilitation plan and treatment protocol, facilitating functional recovery and rehabilitation to return to community and premorbid life.