Pain after spinal cord injury.

Evaluation of pain in a person with SCI should commence with a determination of the neurologic level and the completeness of injury. The pain then can be localized to one of three regions: above level, at level, or below level. The regional pain then should be categorized either as nociceptive or neuropathic and, after this, subdivided into a specific subtype. An evidence based treatment plan can be devised depending on the specific subtype, which may include physical measures, pharmacologic treatments, behavioral interventions, surgery, or an eclectic combination program. The treatment plan usually can provide some relief for any of the subtypes, although complete relief often is not possible.