esign: A cross-sectional study. Objective: To assess the effects of pain on quality of life (QoL), functional independence and depression in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Setting: An inpatient rehabilitation center. Methods:A total of 140 patients (104 M, 36 F) with SCI who underwent inpatient rehabilitation treatment were examined. A questionnaire including clinical variables was applied. Motor score of Functional Independence Measure was used to assess dailylife activities, the 36-Item Medical Outcomes Short-Form Health (SF-36) for QoL and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for depression. Patients were then divided into those having chronic pain (Group I) and those without any pain (Group II), and groups were compared according to demographic and clinical variables. Results: The most common causes of SCI were falls (35.0%) and motor vehicle accidents (34.2%). Chronic pain was present in 78% of patients. Patients employed before injury and patients who had complete injury had lower Numerical Rating Scale scores (Po0.05). SCI patients with chronic pain had higher depression ratings and their BDI scores were correlated with some of the SF-36 domains (general health, vitality, social functioning and mental health). Only bodily pain and social functioning (Po0.05) scores were found to be lower in Group I (Po0.05) when compared with Group II. Conclusion: As mood and QoL are negatively affected with pain in SCI patients, we suggest that chronic pain should always be treated in a multidisciplinary setting where pharmacological, physical and psychological therapies are combined.

This article is an eventual consensus of experts from the European Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Study Group (EURO-MUSCULUS) and the Ultrasound Study Group in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (USPRM) pertaining to the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound in physical and rehabilitation medicine. Nineteen important reasons (as regards general advantages, specific conditions in physical and rehabilitation medicine, as well as comparisons with other imaging tools) have been highlighted to consolidate the scenario of how/why the probe of ultrasound needs to become the stethoscope, the extended hand, and the pen of physiatrists.