Somatosensory Impairment and Chronic Pain Following Stroke: An Observational Study

Brendon S. Haslam (), David S. Butler, Anthony S. Kim and Leeanne M. Carey
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Brendon S. Haslam: Occupational Therapy, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne 3086, Australia
David S. Butler: IMPACT in Health, University of South Australia, Kaurna Country, Adelaide 5001, Australia
Anthony S. Kim: Weil Institute of Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
Leeanne M. Carey: Occupational Therapy, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne 3086, Australia

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-11

Abstract: Background: Chronic pain and somatosensory impairment are common following a stroke. It is possible that an interaction exists between pain and somatosensory impairment and that a change in one may influence the other. We therefore investigated the presence of chronic pain and self-reported altered somatosensory ability in individuals with stroke, aiming to determine if chronic pain is more common in stroke survivors with somatosensory impairment than in those without. Methods: Stroke survivors were invited to complete an online survey that included demographics, details of the stroke, presence of chronic pain, and any perceived changes in body sensations post-stroke. Results: Survivors of stroke (n = 489) completed the survey with 308 indicating that they experienced chronic pain and 368 reporting perceived changes in somatosensory function. Individuals with strokes who reported altered somatosensory ability were more likely to experience chronic pain than those who did not (OR = 1.697; 95% CI 1.585, 2.446). Further, this difference was observed for all categories of sensory function that were surveyed (detection of light touch, body position, discrimination of surfaces and temperature, and haptic object recognition). Conclusions: The results point to a new characteristic of chronic pain in strokes, regardless of nature or region of the pain experienced, and raises the potential of somatosensory impairment being a rehabilitation target to improve pain-related outcomes for stroke survivors.

Keywords: pain; stroke; chronic pain; sensation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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