Prevalence of Shoulder Pain in Spinal Cord Injury Patients Referring to the Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Research Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a catastrophic event that influences all aspects of the life of the patients and their families. It may have many acute or chronic complications. One of the most common complications is shoulder pain, which particularly occurs in wheelchair users. Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of shoulder pain in paraplegic spinal cord injury patients who were referred to our clinic. Methods: We included 70 spinal cord injury patients in our study according to inclusion criteria. Demographic data and SCI-related factors were recorded. The disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH) questionnaire was used to assess shoulder pain in our patients. Results: Mean score of pain was 51 in cervical, 23 in thoracic and 12 in lumbar spinal cord injury according to the DASH questionnaire. The pain was more prevalent and severe in the cervical group. Conclusions: According to our study, it seems that shoulder pain has a relatively high prevalence and is more severe in cervical quadriplegic SCI patients that may be due to muscle imbalance around the shoulder. Therefore, this problem should be noted in the course of managing these patients.