Pain Management in Spinal Cord Injury: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs due to any damage to the spinal cord and cauda equina. Most of the patients after spinal cord injury develop chronic pain, irrespective to the site and type of pain. This pain is severe in most of the cases and severely impairs the quality of life. The mechanisms responsible for the pain after spinal cord injury is poorly understood. The pain of SCI is basically classified in two main types: nociceptive or neuropathic. The objectives of this paper are to review the different treatment options for the SCI pain. The pain management after SCI includes pharmacological therapy and non-pharmacological therapy.