Grant: Undergraduate: Summer Studentship Award - Institute Community Support

Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is self-reported as the most common type of pain following a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). MSK pain places a substantial burden on both the individuals who suffer from it and the Canadian healthcare system as the current first line of treatment is pharmaceuticals which are an issue as they address the symptoms rather than the causes of MSK pain. Promising research has shown that exercise can reduce pain although the mechanism by which this occurs is not yet fully known. One proposed explanation is that exercise reduces inflammation which in turn reduces pain. Under normal circumstances, the inflammatory response is a healthy way for the body to be made aware of acute injurious stimuli and respond accordingly. However, in individuals with SCI, evidence suggests that nervous system impairments can lead to the dysregulation of both endocrine and immune function which can lead to chronic low¬-grade inflammation. This chronic low-¬grade inflammation has been linked to a variety of negative health problems. This study attempts to use exercise to reduce inflammation in people with SCI to reduce MSK pain. Participants will complete a single bout of exercise consisting of 30¬-minutes of upper body exercise in accordance with SCI-specific exercise guidelines. Blood samples will be taken to monitor the levels of inflammation in the blood and MSK will be assessed using a validated subjective measure. This study will allow us to better understand how exercise can reduce MSK in people with SCI and more specifically what role exercise plays in inflammation. Understanding this connection will allow clinicians, rehabilitation specialists, and other healthcare professionals to create better non¬pharmaceutical interventions aimed to reduce inflammation and MSK in people with SCI.