The Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation

Pain is frequent in several neurological conditions, such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetic neuropathy, but it is often underestimated and therefore untreated or not successfully treated. Pain reduces quality of life, it may be the cause of adaptive disorders (such as anxiety and depression) and, in patients undergoing rehabilitation, it may negatively impact rehabilitation procedures and hamper the outcome. Unfortunately, there are no significant data regarding the impact of pain in neurorehabilitation patients and what would be the impact of an appropriate pain treatment on rehabilitation outcome. Accordingly, there are no guidelines providing indications on how to treat pain in patients with pain during rehabilitation treatment and thereafter. Given this background, and to comply with the Italian law 38 released on 2010 by the Italian Ministry of Health to guarantee adequate care and treatment of patients with pain both in hospital and in primary care, the Italian Society for Neurological Rehabilitation (SIRN) along with the Italian Society for Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine (SIMFER), promoted a work-in-progress platform, the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation (ICCPNR).