Pain below the level of injury of the spinal cord.

Abstract

IN THIS study information was obtained from 246 patients who had sustained injuries to the spinal cord and cauda equina. In addition, an intensive study was made on 50 patients, a few of whom were included in the first group. The spontaneous pains of which these patients complain may be divided into three types. First may be mentioned pain referred to the segments about the lesion. Pain of this type may be a typical root pain, similar to that observed with any lesion affecting a root, such as tabes dorsalis or tumor; another form consists of pains in the same region, not of the characteristic quality of root pains but obviously originating from the nerve root. The second type is visceral or visceral referred pain, occurring in the course of dysfunction or disease or trauma of viscera and does not differ from that observed in normal man. The third type