Traumatic bodily injury that results in spinal cord injuries (SCI), means that for many people living with SCI, chronic pain is the accompanying symptom in addition to paralysis, weakness, or loss of sensation. The management of that pain and treatment options available vary depending on the severity and location of the individual injury. If you think your pain could be better managed, it might be time to explore different options.

Neuropathic Spinal Cord Injury Pain

Each person’s pain experience is different. Along with musculoskeletal or visceral pain that can accompany the spinal injury or arise from SCI lifestyle changes, many patients also experience chronic neuropathic pain that reduces the quality of daily life. It’s essential to understand the potential underlying cause of a person’s pain to pursue the correct treatment path for each individual.

Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic pain in spinal cord injuries is caused by the brain continuing to interpret signals from damaged nerves or nerves that it no longer can communicate with because of the injury. The brain misunderstands the messages and, in turn, interprets them as pain. It is common for a person living with a spinal cord injury to feel pain in an area of the body where otherwise, there is no sensation.