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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Jennifer L. Rowland, PhD, MPH, PT, Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1640 W. Roosevelt Road, Room 607, Chicago, IL 60608, (312) 523-4236, jenrow@uic.edu

Pain for people with disabilities is a secondary condition associated with significant decreases in physical functioning that impacts quality of life and the ability to live independently. The first objective of this presentation will be to identify current ways in which pain is measured for people with disabilities, providing information on qualitative reporting as well as validated pain scales that are used for this population. Secondly, recent research involving people with different types of disabilities such as those who have been diagnosed with stroke, arthritis, diabetes, and spinal cord injury will be examined to identify relationships between pain reports and functional limitations. Among these studies, pain reports were universally high for all populations, indicating pain is an important secondary condition to study when examining ways in which to promote health and improve function for people with different types of disabilities. Ways in which pain was classified for these populations varied greatly, ranging from musculoskeletal pain to toothache or jaw pain. Limitations reported in these studies include the impact of pain on exercise, activities of daily living, and mobility. Lastly, a future framework with which to measure and report pain for people with disabilities will be discussed. Specifically, the presentation will include recommendations for ways in which to measure the impact of pain on activity and social participation as well as other quality of life indicators. Adding this new dimension to existing pain measurement tools can lead to meaningful advances in health promotion and secondary condition prevention for people with disabilities.

Learning Objectives:

• To gain knowledge of ways in which pain is currently measured for people with disabilities
• To examine relationships between pain and functional limitations within the context of recent research involving people with disabilities
• To discuss ways in which future efforts to examine pain among people with disabilities could better identify impact on quality of life and lead to enhanced health promotion efforts for this secondary condition

Keywords: Disability Studies,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation