Future directions for evidence-based pain management

Abstract

Many people with spinal cord injury (SCI)-related chronic pain report inadequate relief of pain from the currently available treatment options. As such, it is imperative that the field of SCI pain move forward with novel treatment strategies that are supported by sound scientific investigation. Consensus on an SCI pain classification scheme and collection of standardized pain outcome measures in SCI would facilitate these research endeavors. Controlled trials of novel pharmacological agents and promising combination drug treatments as well as alternative therapies (e.g., massage, acupuncture, exercise) are recommended. The need for advancement in the area of SCI pain management is particularly urgent considering the reports of sensory side effects related to cellular transplant therapies utilized in studies of neuronal regeneration. © 2007 Thomas Land Publishers, Inc.