About Chronic Nerve Pain
after Spinal Cord Injury

About 200,000 people in the United States have spinal cord injuries (SCI). Most injuries occur from a traumatic event such as a car accident, a fall, or violence. Most people who have SCI suffer from some form of chronic pain, nerve pain being one of the most common. The pain may occur as a result of the damage to the spinal cord, or it may occur from damage to other areas of the body at the time of injury. This pain is commonly persistent, severe, and difficult to treat.

This type of resulting nerve pain can take a long time to develop or may happen immediately following a spinal cord injury. Pain can occur in areas where there is normal sensation, and it can occur in parts of the body where there is little or no feeling after injury. Patients often describe the symptoms of their nerve pain as burning, tingling, stabbing, shooting, pricking, scalding or freezing. This pain may be felt while lying down and may also occur when the skin is gently touched.

There are many reasons for chronic nerve pain following SCI. It tends to be unrelated to which position the body is in or what a person may be doing, and it can worsen with infections. The pain is usually due to the body processing pain and sensations abnormally. There are many reasons that make it difficult for doctors and researchers to diagnose, classify and treat SCI pain. Factors such as lifestyle, the environment and general well being may all have an affect on daily pain level.