Traumatic pain

Abstract

Chronic pain is one of the most prevalent symptomologies of patients in the United States, with nearly 100 million Americans afflicted by chronic pain. Furthermore, nearly one fifth of these patients trace the etiology of their chronic pain to a traumatic injury. Advancements in the access to and delivery of medical care in the trauma setting have led to an increase in survival of traumatic pain patients. This specific subset of patients contend with a unique variety of conditions, including complex regional pain syndrome, phantom limb pain, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and vertebral fractures. This chapter aims to examine the epidemiology and pathophysiology of the most common pain-related scenarios seen by healthcare providers in the trauma setting. In addition, this chapter will address multiple treatment modalities available to clinicians, which include analgesic therapies such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids, as well as interventional techniques via regional and neuraxial anesthesia.