Pain researchers at the University of Adelaide have launched a new study to investigate the underlying reasons why some sufferers of spinal injury have persistent pain and others don’t.
People from South Australia and New South Wales who have suffered a spinal cord injury are sought for the study.
Speaking ahead of National Pain Week (21-27 July), Associate Professor Mark Hutchinson from the University’s School of Medical Sciences says chronic pain develops in almost two-thirds of spinal cord injury patients.
“The reason why some patients develop chronic pain and others don’t remains unknown,” Associate Professor Hutchinson says.
For people who’ve had a spinal cord injury, there currently does not appear to be one common factor that links one group over the other.
“This is why our study is delving further, examining each individual’s genetics and comparing with their medical circumstances, to see if there are common elements at work,” he says.
Read the full, original story: New study taps into genetics of spinal pain
