Virginia Via Research Day Book 2026

Medical Student Research Clinical 34

A TIME SERIES ANALYSIS ASSESSING TRENDS IN PRESCRIBING PAIN MEDICATIONS AFTER A SPINAL CORD INJURY

Jordan Martinez (1), OMS-II; Carey Hung, DO (1); Gabriella Kayal, DO (1); Kelly C. S. Roballo, DVM, PhD (1,2) Corresponding author: jmartinez02@vcom.edu

(1) VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia (2) Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia

Spinal cord injury (SCI) involves damage to the central nervous system that affects downstream motor, sensory, and autonomic neural pathways important for functioning in daily life. The natural inflammatory response to damage leads to acute phenomena and eventually chronic symptoms, such as pain, if not treated properly after diagnosis. Unfortunately, variation in pain symptoms experienced and differences in the efficacy of medications to treat chronic neuropathic and musculoskeletal pain symptoms among SCI patients make it difficult for physicians to differentiate between pain symptoms and target therapy accordingly. This study aims to evaluate prescribing trends for pain medications across various time points following spinal cord injury, to better understand pain management in individuals with SCI.

In this study, data from 10,790 participants with spinal cord injury were taken from the National Institutes of Health's All of Us Research program database to conduct a time series analysis. Two cohorts were assessed, involving a history of spinal cord injury or spinal cord compression. Moving average calculations were performed to assess trends in prescribing frequencies of the data collected. As a result, an increasing trend in the average number of SCI participants prescribed an individual drug within six to nine months post injury was displayed, followed by a slight decrease between nine-months and one-year post-injury. Results showed the greatest number of medications prescribed was within the anticonvulsant, analgesics, and centrally acting drug classes 90 days post spinal cord injury, except for amitriptyline at day

270. In conclusion, this study discusses and contributes to the conversation regarding the importance of evaluating which medications are likely beneficial in treating chronic pain symptoms associated with spinal cord injury and the necessity of long-term use.

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204 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)