Relationship of Psychosocial Factors and Musculoskeletal Pain Among Individuals with Newly Acquired Spinal Cord Injury

Overview

Journal Spinal Cord Ser Cases

Specialty Neurology

Date 2021 Jul 20

PMID 34282128

Citations 1

Authors

Margaret Finley

Elizabeth Euiler

Laura Baehr

Edward Gracely

Mary Brownsberger

Mary Schmidt-Read

Sara Kate Frye

Marni Kallins

Amanda Summers

Henry York

Paula Richley Geigle

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Study Design: Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of a longitudinal cohort study.

Objectives: Little evidence exists on pain-related psychosocial factors in individuals with newly acquired spinal cord injury (SCI). To understand a biopsychosocial model of pain, we must first understand the presenting psychological pain-related factors at injury onset. Therefore, we assessed musculoskeletal pain and pain-related psychological constructs in a group of individuals with newly acquired SCI. We hypothesized that individuals with new SCI would report musculoskeletal shoulder pain with elevated levels of kinesiophobia and pain catastrophizing.

Setting: Data were collected in three rehabilitation hospitals located in urban and suburban communities.

Methods: Thirty-five individuals with newly acquired SCI participated. Demographics, Musculoskeletal Pain Survey shoulder subscale, Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale-11, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Fear of Pain Questionnaire, Chronic Pain Coping Inventory-42, and Subjective Quality of Life Questionnaire were administered. Descriptive analysis of all measures was determined and relationships between pain and psychosocial measures determined.

Results: Moderate shoulder pain existed in 40% of people with new SCI along with clinically elevated kinesiophobia, pain catastrophizing, fear of pain, and reduced quality of life. Shoulder pain was statistically associated with pain catastrophizing (ρ = 0.41, p = 0.01). Kinesiophobia positively correlated with fear of pain (ρ = 0.38, p = 0.02) with an inverse relationship to quality of life (ρ = -0.47, p = 0.01).

Conclusions: Elevated pain, and pain-related psychological characteristics, such as catastrophizing and kinesiophobia exist during the early stages after SCI. Early identification of pain-related factors can guide clinical intervention potentially ameliorating pain-linked functional impairments.

Trial Registry: This trial is registered with ClinTrial.gov ID NCT03137394.

Citing Articles

Models of care for musculoskeletal shoulder pain in spinal cord injury: A scoping review.

Keightley J, Haagman B, Magner J, Debenham J J Spinal Cord Med. 2023; 47(3):327-344.

PMID: 36913538 PMC: 11044743. DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2023.2183335.

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