Postoperative pain following foot and ankle surgery: a prospective study.
BACKGROUND
Orthopaedic procedures have been reported to have the highest incidence of pain compared to other types of operations. There are limited studies in the literature that investigate postoperative pain.


METHODS
A prospective study of 98 patients undergoing orthopedic foot and ankle operations was undertaken to evaluate their pain experience. A Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) was administered preoperatively and postoperatively.


RESULTS
The results showed that patients who experienced pain before the operation anticipated feeling higher pain intensity immediately postoperatively. Patients, on average, experienced higher pain intensity 3 days after the operation than anticipated. The postoperative pain intensity at 3 days was the most severe, while postoperative pain intensity at 6 weeks was the least severe. Age, gender and preoperative diagnosis (acute versus chronic) did not have a significant effect on the severity of pain that patients experienced. Six weeks following the operation, the majority of patients felt no pain. In addition, the severity of preoperative pain was highly predictive of their anticipated postoperative pain and 6-week postoperative pain, and both preoperative pain and anticipated pain predict higher immediate postoperative pain.


CONCLUSIONS
The intensity of patients' preoperative pain was predictive of the anticipated postoperative pain. Patients' preoperative pain and anticipated postoperative pain were independently predictive of the 3-day postoperative pain. The higher pain intensity a patient experienced preoperatively suggested that their postoperative pain severity would be greater. Therefore, surgeons should be aware of these findings when treating postoperative pain after orthopaedic foot and ankle operations.
Chou
Loretta B
LB
Stanford University Medical Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 300 Pasteur Drive, Room R111, MC 5343, Stanford, CA 94305-5343, USA. lchou@stanford.edu
Wagner
Dominic
D
Witten
Daniela M
DM
Martinez-Diaz
Gabriel J
GJ
Brook
Nancy S
NS
Toussaint
Michele
M
Carroll
Ian R
IR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005528:Foot / Q000601:surgery*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult