Browsing by Author "Williams, Tammy-Lee"

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    Exploration of the experiences of persons in the traumatic spinal cord injury population in relation to chronic pain management
    (MDPI, 2023) Williams, Tammy-Lee; Joseph, Conran; Nilsson-Wikmar, Lena
    Chronic pain amongst individuals with traumatic and nontraumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) has high prevalence rates, with severe impact on the activities of daily living, mood, sleep and quality of life. This study aimed to explore the experiences and challenges of chronic pain management amongst the traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) population in the Western Cape region of South Africa. A qualitative descriptive approach was chosen for the study, in which 13 individuals living with TSCI were purposively recruited and interviewed telephonically. An inductive thematic analytic approach was used. The results indicate ineffectiveness of standard pain management, with a lack of education regarding pain physiology and pain management strategies as well as unbalanced decision-making between clinician and patient. Thus, patients develop coping strategies to survive with pain. Current pain regimes are suboptimal at best, underpinned by the lack of clarity or a mutually agreed plan to mitigate and eradicate pain.
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    Management principles for chronic pain in survivors of traumatic spinal cord injury
    (University of the Western Cape, 2024) Williams, Tammy-Lee; Phillips, Joliana
    Chronic pain is a common secondary complication in the traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) population and has been documented across the world impacting on quality of life (QOL) as well as activities of daily living (ADL’s). Furthermore, chronic pain also impacts on psychological factors resulting in poorer mental health. The current management of chronic pain, globally, is largely based on a predominant pharmacological approach, leading to suboptimal outcomes. Both researchers and persons with TSCI (PWTSCI) are contesting the medically-oriented approach to pain management owing to the complexity of chronic pain and the undesirable side-effects associated with pharmacological use. Within the disorder of chronic pain, a complex interaction of biological, social and psychological factors plays a role in the representation of chronic pain, and, therefore, pharmacological approaches alone cannot be sufficient to treat this multifaceted disorder. In the TSCI population, individuals have highlighted their needs for non-pharmacological interventions to manage their chronic pain. As early as 1977, George Engel proposed to transform the medical model by adapting a biopsychosocial approach to pain management. In South Africa no guideline exists to guide healthcare providers along this biopsychosocial approach in the TSCI population. This doctoral research project, therefore, aimed to develop design principles for the management of chronic pain in the TSCI population.