Citation

Kwan V, Vo M, Noel M, Yeates KO. J. Neurotrauma 2018; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada ; kyeates@ucalgary.ca.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/neu.2017.5281

PMID

29207908

Abstract

AIM: Headache is a common source of pain in children following traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, relatively little is known about non-headache pain in this pediatric population. The present review seeks to map the extant literature to determine the prevalence, characteristics, and impact of non-headache pain in children following TBI of all severities.

RESULTS: Of 109 studies published on pain in children following a TBI, 95 (87%) were focused exclusively on headache pain and only 14 (13%) reported on non-headache pain or overall pain, with half (n = 7) in the form of case studies. Overall, the level of evidence was low, with only three Level 1 high-quality prospective studies. In one study by Tham and colleagues (2013), over half (57.1%) of adolescents who experienced persistent pain following TBI reported pain in multiple body sites (e.g. back, lower limb, neck). Nevertheless, pain in body regions other than the head is often not assessed systematically in pediatric TBI research.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Results of the current review suggests that pain assessment in children after TBI needs improvement, given that pain is linked to worse recovery, poorer quality of life, and can be long-lasting. More rigorous examination of non-headache pain and its role in impeding recovery in children following TBI is imperative, and has the potential to improve the care and management of children with TBI. We conclude with recommendations for pain assessment, discuss gaps in the literature, and highlight directions for future research.

Language: en

Keywords

ASSESSMENT TOOLS; PEDIATRIC BRAIN INJURY; TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY