Exploration of the experiences of persons in the traumatic spinal cord injury population in relation to chronic pain management
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Date
2023
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
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.
Description
Keywords
Patients, Population studies, Pain management, South Africa, Therapy
Citation
Williams, T. L. et al. (2023). Exploration of the experiences of persons in the traumatic spinal cord injury population in relation to chronic pain management. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(1), 77. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010077