New research shows that upwards of 60 percent of people living with a traumatic brain injury are affected by a chronic pain condition.

The study found that chronic pain affects a large portion of TBI survivors, even up to 30 years after their initial head injury. The research was published in The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, and it involved over 3,800 respondents who had previously been hospitalized with a moderate to severe TBI. Most respondents were white (77%) and male (75%), with an average recovery time since injury of five years (between 1-30 years).

For the study, researchers surveyed participants about their head injury and other current health issues they are facing, like chronic pain, which was defined as “persistent or recurring pain that lasts longer than three months, including headaches or pain anywhere in the body, which occurs more than half of the days over a three-month period.”

Study Results

After looking at the data, researchers uncovered some concerning statistics about the connection between TBIs and chronic pain onset. They found:

• 46 percent said they were currently living with a chronic pain condition.
• 14 percent said they previously dealt with a chronic pain condition.
• 40 percent reported no chronic pain symptoms now or since their TBI.
• 32.5 percent of participants with a current chronic pain condition reported constant pain.
• Compared to those with no chronic pain, patients with a current chronic pain condition had severely worse scores on three outcomes measured in the survey – the Functional Independence Measure, the Disability Rating Scale and the Glasgow Outscore Scale.

Another concerning finding from the survey was that medications were the most common form of chronic pain treatment. Medications were used by more than 91 percent of patients with a current chronic pain condition and by 90 percent of patients with a past chronic pain condition. As we’ve always said, it’s not that medications aren’t an effective part of a comprehensive treatment plan, but they cannot be your main or only form of treatment. You need to pursue active interventions, like exercise, diet, weight loss, cognitive behavioral therapy or relaxation/deep breathing techniques in order to get the most out of any medication regimen.

The study stopped short of explaining the specific connection between head trauma and chronic pain onset, but it stands to reason that damage in the brain can affect nerve relays throughout our body. Nerve damage can cause our pain signals to be fired when no painful stimuli is felt, or it can cause your brain to interpret a normal sensation as a painful one. It should come as no surprise that patients with a moderate to severe head injury ended up having some neural connection issues even long after the trauma. It speaks to the importance of working to overcome the totality of the TBI so that symptoms don’t manifest later down the road.

If you’re struggling with chronic pain and believe it may be tied to a previous head injury, reach out to a pain specialist in your area like Dr. Cohn. We can work to pinpoint the source of your chronic pain issue and get you set up on the road to recovery. It’s never too late to take the first step towards less chronic pain. For more information, or for help with a different pain issue, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today at (952) 738-4580.