Pain

** NOTE: this website will be shutting down in 2019. All resources have been moved to the Spinal Cord Injury Research Evidence (SCIRE) Project website: https://scireproject.com/clinical-resources/health-care-providers/ **

Please email clinical [AT] rickhanseninstitute [DOT] org with any questions.

Pain has many negative effects: social isolation, unemployment, decreased function, decreased quality of life, depression and even suicide. Seventy-seven percent of individuals with SCI indicate that pain always interferes with one or more of their daily activities. Eleven percent of people report that pain, rather than loss of function, is the main factor preventing them from engaging in work. 

• Toolkit you can read online
• Complete printable toolkit (PDF)
• Clinical pain assessment form (PDF)

Pain Facility Report

Because pain is so variable in the way that it is collected and reported by patients, we don't currently have plans to create a pain report. Is this something that you have an interest in and would like us to consider? Please email us at clinical [AT] rickhanseninstitute [DOT] org. 

Pain Resources

• The CanPain SCI Clinical Practice Guidelines for Rehabilitation Management of Neuropathic Pain after Spinal Cord:
  • Screening and diagnosis recommendation
  • Treatment recommendations
  • Model systems of care
• The International SCI Pain Basic Data Set version 2.0 has Training Cases to help you understand the types of pain patients express and how to chart it (first link at top of page, p. 18-30)
• The National Pain Centre produces the Canadian Guideline for Safe and Effective Use of Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain  
• Registered Nurses Association of Ontario has the Best Practice Guideline on the Assessment and Management of Pain
• The SCIRE project has evidence based guidelines for the assessment and management of pain in spinal cord injury
• The Pain Management Network of Australia has a great resource for understanding chronic SCI pain.
• Pain BC has many resources for clinicians and their patients.
• The pain resource centre, developed by the Canadian Pain Coalition is available here.
• Looking for some articles to better understand assessment of pain? Take a look here for articles  the experts who put together the toolkit used.