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The Effect of Exercise on Pain as It Relates to Injury Level and Completeness in Adults With Spinal Cord Injury
Location: East Ballroom
Mentor: Dr. Eva Widerstrom-Noga
Chronic pain following spinal cord injury (SCI) remains prevalent, debilitating, and challenging to manage pharmacologically; therefore, alternative treatment strategies are in high demand. Exercise has shown promise in alleviating pain in SCI, but evidence is limited regarding its effectiveness across different SCI subpopulations. For instance, the neurological level and completeness of SCI alter physiological responses to exercise, potentially affecting pain relief. This work will investigate the effects of an assisted, structured exercise program on chronic pain relative to injury level and completeness in adults with SCI.
Participants completed a circuit resistance training (CRT) exercise protocol—a program alternating between endurance and resistance training movements—biweekly across six weeks. After each movement, individuals reported their pain on a scale of 0 (no pain) - 10 (worst pain imaginable). For data analysis, pain scores for aerobic and resistance exercises were averaged from the first and last training sessions. Using repeated measures ANOVA, significant improvements in pain were revealed within the first exercise session following aerobic movements and within the last exercise session following both aerobic and resistance movements. Participants were grouped by injury type, injury completeness, and location of their worst pain; however, no significant differences were found in pain reduction across these variables.
These findings suggest a structured CRT program may relieve pain for individuals with SCI during exercise, regardless of these injury characteristics. Future research should investigate the long-term effects of exercise on pain management in SCI and the underlying mechanisms of pain relief.
