Pain and suffereing following spinal cord injury.

It is important to distinguish between the part played by possible pathological processes which can cause pain and those emotional problems which are often somatosized as pain. So much depends upon the patient's own ability to cope with his problem and communicate them effectively. The acceptance of his disability and of the strange feelings where once he felt his body has to take place. There is often a long period of time and experiences that the patient has to go through before he accepts the reality that he is paralyzed permanently and that he has to make a life that is worthwhile.