Association Between Body Composition and Pain in Spinal Cord Injury

Association Among Body Composition, Chronic Pain, Evoked Pain Sensitivity, and Adiposity-related Systemic Inflammation in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury

The purposes of the study are to quantify and compare relationships among acute changes in inflammatory markers and evoked pain sensitivity after a high-fat meal (HFM) challenge, compared to a moderate-fat meal challenge, and explore the influence of body composition on these responses, in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18-70 years
• Spinal cord injury occurring at least 2 years prior to study entry
• Neurological level of injury (LOI) between C4 and L2
• American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) A-D
• English-speaking.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Cognitive dysfunction that limits ability to adequately understand the risks of the study or are otherwise unable to consent
• Health conditions associated with chronic systemic inflammation unrelated to weight or adiposity (e.g., systemic autoimmune diseases, recurrent or active urinary tract infection, pressure injury > Stage 2)
• Conditions that preclude measurement of body composition by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA; e.g., lower limb contracture > 15 degrees)
• Inability to obtain free-flowing blood from a superficial forearm or hand vein
• Pregnant women
• Prisoners