Article

PURPOSE: To describe pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain treatments used
for chronic spinal cord injury pain (CSCIP) and current treatment effectiveness
in a large Dutch population with a spinal cord injury (SCI). METHOD: Postal
survey among 575 persons with SCI. The main outcome measures were the pain
intensity score of the Chronic Pain Grade questionnaire, past and current pain
treatments, and perceived effectiveness of current pain treatments. RESULTS:
Response rate was 49% (279 persons) and 215 respondents (77.1%) had CSCIP. Most
respondents with CSCIP (62.8%) reported more than one pain type, of which
neuropathic pain was most frequently reported (69.3%). Of this group with CSCIP,
63.8% was currently involved in some kind of treatment, but nevertheless high
levels of pain (mean 52.8 on a 0-100 scale) were reported. Massage
(therapy)/relaxation (training), anticonvulsants, and non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were the most often used treatments. The current
treatments that were most often perceived as effective were
acupuncture/magnetising, cannabis/alcohol, physiotherapy and exercise, and
massage (therapy)/relaxation (training). TENS/ultrasound and antidepressants were
least often perceived as effective. CONCLUSIONS: Many SCI pain treatments have
been tried. Acupuncture/magnetising, cannabis/alcohol, and physiotherapy and
exercise were considered most effective. Further research is needed to establish
effective SCI pain treatments.

Langue : ANGLAIS