Assessment of disability: Pain in youth with spinal cord injury

Abstract

Little research has examined the nature and scope of pain problems among youth with spinal cord injuries (SCI). A convenience sample of youth with SCI were administered in-person structured interviews that included demographics, the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale, a modified Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ), and additional pain descriptors. Data from 10 youth have been collected. The majority of the participants were female (60%) and with a mean age of 15.4 years (SD=4.0). Fifty percent of the injuries were due to motor vehicle accidents, 20% to sports injuries, 10% to a fall, and 20% to other causes. Forty percent were complete injuries, 40% were incomplete injuries, and 20% were unknown. Sixty percent of the participants sustained cervical injuries, 30% thoracic, and 10% lumbar. All of the youth reported chronic pain with a mean pain intensity of 3.0 (range, 1-4) on an 11-point numerical rating scale. The mean pain duration was 6 hrs 49 min (range, 2 min to constant). The most common pain locations were the back (70%), bottom/hips (60%), and head (50%). Using a modified BPI, the greatest pain interference occurred with mood (mean 2.33, range 0-6), sleep (mean 2.3, range 0-8), and recreation (mean 1.9, range 0-8). Regarding bodily pain or discomfort in the past 4 weeks, 50% noted no pain to mild pain and 50% reported moderate to severe pain on the CHQ. The frequency of bodily pain or discomfort in the past 4 weeks as noted on the CHQ ranged from once or twice (10%) to every day or almost every day (20%) with the majority of participants reporting pain or discomfort fairly often (50%). These data provide preliminary information about the nature and scope of pain in youth with SCI.