Perceived difficulty in dealing with consequences of spinal cord injury

Widerström-Noga, Eva; Felipe-Cuervo, Ernesto; Broton, James G.; Duncan, Robert C.; Yezierski, Robert P.

doi:10.1016/s0003-9993(99)90203-4

Cited by 180 publications

(140 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

130

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Specifically, people (n ¼ 258) with SCI, who were over 18 years of age, had been injured more than 18 months prior to the date of the survey, and who had reported the presence of chronic pain or nonpainful sensations in a previous study 28 were invited to participate. The participants completed a comprehensive pain history that included detailed descriptions of their present pain.…”

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This measure was used in a previous study of SCI. 28 Pain treatments A total of 17 treatments identified during interviews and in previous studies 9,28 (ie, heat therapy, ice therapy, massage therapy, ultrasound, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), acupuncture, other physical therapy, occupational therapy, nerve blocks, surgery, trigger point injections, chiropractic manipulation, psychotherapy, hypnosis, meditation, and herbal medicine) were listed in the questionnaire. They could also add additional treatments to the list.…”

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Types and effectiveness of treatments used by people with chronic pain associated with spinal cord injuries: influence of pain and psychosocial characteristics

2003

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Study design: Postal survey. Objectives: Because of the high prevalence and inadequate control of pain following spinal cord injury (SCI), it is important to have information about the factors associated with the use of specific pain therapies. We conducted this study to evaluate the ability of pain characteristics and psychosocial factors to predict the use of treatments. Setting: The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis (Miami, FL, USA). Methods: People with SCI (n ¼ 120) were mailed a packet containing a questionnaire with questions regarding demographic factors, pain characteristics, and pain treatments along with a copy of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory. Results: A total of 59% of the respondents had been prescribed treatment or self-initiated efforts to treat pain over the previous 18-month period. The most common treatments used by this sample were massage (26.6%), opioids (22.5%) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (20%). The most effective treatments overall were 'physical therapies' with 50% receiving these treatments indicating that their pain was 'considerably reduced' or that they were 'pain free.' Opioids and anticonvulsants were perceived to be the most effective pharmacological agents prescribed (33.3 and 23.8% reporting their pain was considerably better or eliminated, respectively). People using prescription medication reported significantly greater pain severity, more widespread pain, more descriptive adjectives, more evoked pain, greater difficulty in dealing with pain, and more interference and decreased activity levels due to pain, compared to people not using prescription medication. A combination of greater difficulty in dealing with pain, intense pain, presence of evoked pain, and higher level of perceived support from significant others was predictive of taking prescription medication. Conclusion: People taking prescription medication reported significantly more intense pain with neuropathic characteristics that significantly affected daily life and routine activities. A substantial percentage of individuals with pain related to SCI did not obtain significant pain relief from prescription medications. None of the factors assessed predicted the use of nonprescription treatments. The results of this study confirm the inadequacy of available modalities to manage chronic pain related to SCI.

show abstract

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Types and effectiveness of treatments used by people with chronic pain associated with spinal cord injuries: influence of pain and psychosocial characteristics

2003

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…[4][5][6] In addition to the physical and cognitive effects of SCI, researchers have found that a combination of emotional factors including anxiety affects these patients. 7 Changes in body image can cause psychological trauma 8 and the use of a halo brace may also distort body image and self concept. Surprisingly, the prevalence and severity of mood disruption following SCI is not as high as many clinicians predict.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of spinal cord injury on self-perceived pre- and postmorbid cognitive, emotional and physical functioning

et al. 2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Study Design: Cross-sectional study with repeated measurements. Objectives: To examine the patient's perspective of the impact of spinal cord injury (SCI) on physical, cognitive, emotional function, and quality of life (QOL). Setting: Australia. Methods: A sample of 63 patients with SCI, 32 of whom had recent injuries, and 31 with established injuries were administered the Ruff Neurobehavioral Inventory to examine patients' subjective evaluation of pre-and post-injury functioning. Current happiness levels were also evaluated using the Subjective Happiness Scale. A follow up assessment was performed 6 months later to examine changes over time. Results: A significant difference was found between perception of pre-and postmorbid function on composite Cognitive (t ¼ 5.99, df ¼ 62, Po0.001), Physical (t ¼ 11.56, df ¼ 62, Po0.001), and QOL (t ¼ 7.16, df ¼ 62, Po0.001) scales and on several of the Emotional subscales including anxiety, paranoia and suspicion, and substance abuse (Po0.001). A series of hierarchical regression analyses indicate that post-SCI pain was a significant predictor of: cognitive (R 2 ¼ 0.20, Po0.001); emotional (R 2 ¼ 0.13, Po0.004); and of QOL (R 2 ¼ 0.22, Po0.001) functioning. With the exception of a decrease in happiness (Po0.01), there were no significant changes in any measures over the 6 month time period. Conclusions: There are significant changes in patients' perceptions of physical and cognitive functioning, and of QOL before and after SCI and some aspects of emotional functioning. Pain has a significant adverse effect on functioning. Happiness decreased slightly in the 6 months between surveys.

show abstract

“…4,12,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Different research methods generate different types of knowledge 21 and qualitative research can make a valuable contribution to evidence-based healthcare by probing 'taken for granted' and conventional ideas, and exploring the experiences, perspectives and contexts of peoples' lives. 22,23 Accordingly, qualitative methods have been employed in several studies into the experience of life after SCI.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Quantitative methods are therefore Recognizing the inherent problems with attempts to quantitatively measure QOL among people with SCI many researchers have advocated the use of qualitative methods that can explore both the meaning of QOL for people with SCI and the factors they identify as contributing to the experience of quality in their lives. 4,12,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Different research methods generate different types of knowledge 21 and qualitative research can make a valuable contribution to evidence-based healthcare by probing 'taken for granted' and conventional ideas, and exploring the experiences, perspectives and contexts of peoples' lives. 22,23 Accordingly, qualitative methods have been employed in several studies into the experience of life after SCI.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of life after spinal cord injury: a meta-synthesis of qualitative findings

Hammell¹

2006

Spinal Cord

167

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Study design: Meta-synthesis of qualitative research. Objectives: To identify, compare and synthesize the factors found to contribute to, or detract from the experience of a life worth living following spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods: Published articles were identified from the Medline, CINAHL and Sociological Abstracts databases, a hand search through selected journals published since 1990, and from reference lists. These were assessed for their relevance to the focus of interest and appraised for rigour and quality. The key themes that emerged from the data were summarized, compared and synthesized. Results: The search located 64 papers and four books, of which seven papers met the review criteria for relevance and rigour, and in which 10 main concepts were identified: (1) body problems, (2) loss, (3) relationships, (4) responsibility for, and control of one's life, (5) occupation, and ability to contribute, (6) environmental context, (7) new values/perspective transformation, (8) good and bad days, (9) self-worth, (10) self-continuity. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the utility of synthesizing qualitative research to provide a greater depth of insight into the factors that contribute to, and detract from, quality of life (QOL) after SCI. It also provides a more nuanced understanding of the experience of QOL following SCI than is achievable by quantitative methods. Future qualitative research is required to probe further the concepts and connections identified in this study, and to identify how rehabilitation services might best address these issues. Sponsorship: N/A. The vast majority of research into QOL following SCI has adopted a quantitative approach, 3 reflecting researchers' assumptions that quality can be measured quantitatively; that the determinants of QOL following SCI can be reliably predicted by able-bodied researchers; and that the subjective experience of a life can be objectively and accurately discerned by another person. These assumptions have been challenged [5][6][7][8][9][10] and it has been argued that the results of these studies are both misleading and of questionable value. 11 Indeed, it has been suggested that how someone attempts to 'measure' QOL says more about their own values, priorities and fundamental orientation to life than it does about the QOL of the people whose lives are ostensibly being studied. 3,12 Quantitative research is hypothesis-driven, requiring researchers to predetermine the variables to be measured and thus to identify in advance those factors that are relevant and important to the issue under investigation. This inevitably limits the range of possible findings. For example, if 'pain' is not included as a variable in a quantitative study of QOL then pain will not be found to influence QOL. Quantitative methods are therefore Recognizing the inherent problems with attempts to quantitatively measure QOL among people with SCI many researchers have advocated the use of qualitative methods that can explore both the meaning of QOL for people with SCI and the f...

show abstract

Perceived difficulty in dealing with consequences of spinal cord injury

Cited by 180 publications

References 38 publications

Types and effectiveness of treatments used by people with chronic pain associated with spinal cord injuries: influence of pain and psychosocial characteristics

Types and effectiveness of treatments used by people with chronic pain associated with spinal cord injuries: influence of pain and psychosocial characteristics

Impact of spinal cord injury on self-perceived pre- and postmorbid cognitive, emotional and physical functioning

Quality of life after spinal cord injury: a meta-synthesis of qualitative findings

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About