Chronic Pain in the Post-Deployment Period: Results from the Warrior Strong Cohort (4449)

Objective: Describe the prevalence and one year natural history of pain among service members returning from deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. Background: There is incomplete understanding of the epidemiology and natural history of post-deployment pain in the military population. Design/Methods: Subjects are a random sample of recently deployed soldiers from the Warrior Strong cohort, consisting of soldiers with (TBI+: n=557) and without (TBI−: n=1,030) a recent deployment-related concussion. Chronic pain was assessed using the Graded Chronic Pain Scale (GCPS), a validated tool used to measure the prevalence and impact of pain over the previous three months. Results: At the baseline interview, the majority (78% of mTBI−; 95% of mTBI+) of soldiers reported pain at one or more sites over the past three months (back, neck, headache/migraine, stomachache or abdominal, joint [arms, hands, knees, legs, hips, or feet], chest, facial [including jaw / joint in front of the ear], and other). For mTBI+ soldiers, the most prevalent types of pain were headache/migraine (78%), back pain (72%), and joint pain (71%). For mTBI− soldiers, the most prevalent types of pain were back pain (55%), joint pain (53%), and headache/migraine (51%). Soldiers most often named back pain as the most bothersome over the past three months (36%). Regardless of site, the most bothersome type of pain was present daily or continuously for 28% of mTBI− and 40% for mTBI+ soldiers. Grade 3–4 pain (moderate or severe activity interference) was more common in the concussed vs. non-concussed soldiers at all time points: baseline: 20% vs 9%; 3-months: 27% vs 15%; 6-months: 23% vs 13%; one-year: 32% vs 19%, all p Conclusions: Chronic pain was more prevalent in soldiers with a recent deployment-related concussion compared to others. Pain did not become less prevalent during the year after returning from deployment. A substantial minority of soldiers reported daily or continuous pain. Disclosure: Dr. Scher has received research support from Eli Lilly. Dr. Brenner has nothing to disclose. Dr. Cole has nothing to disclose. Dr. Terrio has nothing to disclose. Dr. Schwab has nothing to disclose.