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In general, there are five categories of pain that occurs as a
complication of SCI: central, muscle tension, visceral,
neuropathic and psychogenic.
Central Pain: Central pain,
also called dysesthetic pain, is typically a burning, tingling,
shooting, stinging, or "pins and needles" sensation. Some people
also complain of a stabbing, piercing, cutting, and drilling
pain. This type of pain usually occurs within days, weeks, or
months of the injury and tends to decrease with time in both
frequency and intensity. Central pain is diffuse and occurs most
often in the legs, back, feet, thighs, and toes, although it can
also occur in the buttocks, hips, upper back, arms, fingers,
abdomen, and neck.
Central pain occurs more frequently in older, more anxious
people. It often results from noxious stimuli, such as smoking,
bladder and bowel distention, infections, and skin sores, and
from heterotopic ossification, deep venous thrombosis, fractures
of the arms and legs, prolonged inactivity, spasticity, fatigue,
and depression.
Muscle Tension: Muscle
tension, also known as mechanical pain or musculoskeletal pain,
is a dull, aching sensation that occurs in people with or
without SCI. Muscle tension, that is a complication of SCI,
occurs with increased frequency in the shoulder, hip, and hand,
although it also occurs in the lower back and buttocks. Muscle
tension is probably caused by a combination of factors, such as
abnormalities that may have always been there, inflammation,
repetitive trauma, excessive activity, vigorous stretching, and
contractions due to paralysis, spasticity, flabbiness, disuse
and misuse. Generally speaking, muscle tension is usually
aggravated by activity and relieved by rest.
Visceral Pain: Visceral pain
is a vague and dull or diffuse sensation, or feeling of
discomfort or bloating, in the area of the abdomen, or referred
pain felt elsewhere, such as the shoulder. Visceral pain is
caused by problems with internal organs, such as the stomach,
kidney, gallbladder, urinary bladder, and intestines. These
problems include distension, perforation, inflammation, and
impaction or constipation, which can cause associated symptoms,
such as nausea, fever, and malaise, and pain. Visceral pain is
also caused by problems with abdominal muscles and the abdominal
wall, such as spasm.
Neuropathic (nerve-generated)
pain is a significant problem in some spinal cord-injured
patients. It is probably the most suffered from too post injury.
Varying types of pain are described in spinal cord injury.
Damage to the spine and soft tissues surrounding the spine can
cause aching at the left of the injury. Nerve root pain is
described as sharp or may be described as having an electric
shock-type quality. Occasionally SCI patients will describe
phantom limb pain or pain that radiates from the level of the
lesion in a specific pattern that is related to injury or
dysfunction at the nerve root or spinal cord level. Various
medications and nerve block procedures have been described and
are of some use in the treatment of neuropathic pain following
spinal cord injury.
Psychogenic Pain: Psychogenic pain is also known as
phantom limb sensations. Its symptoms and causes are variable
Skin Breakdown
pneumonia.htm
Osteoporosis and Fractures
Heterotopic Ossification
Spasticity
Urinary Tract
Infections
Autonomic Dysreflexia
Deep Vein Thrombosis
Pulmonary Embolism
Orthostatic Hypotension
Cardiovascular Disease
Syringomyelia
Neuropathic / Spinal Cord Pain
Medication Problems
Hyperthermia
Hypothermia
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