Psychosocial Factors on Pain and Outcomes

Researchers reviewed 26 relevant studies of presurgical psychological predictors on the outcomes of knee or hip surgery and found that “there is evidential value for the effect of depression on pain intensity and function, anxiety on pain intensity and function, pain catastrophizing on pain intensity, as well as the combined effects of all psychological predictors on pain intensity and function” after arthroplasty. Increased disability and pain was experienced in ~30% of knee/hip replacement patients, even though the surgery was considered successful.

Although the study “was inconclusive for the effect of optimism on pain intensity...results highlight the importance of patients’ psychological profiles in predicting surgical outcomes, which represent a promising avenue for future treatment approaches.” In addition, “Presurgical psychosocial factors inevitably have an effect on recovery, pain, and function postsurgery, and should be considered as risk factors which medical professionals may wish to address using preventative measures.”

 

Read the journal article.

Other Categories:

• orthopedics

• postsurgical pain management

• psychology

• Surgery