Pain in postsurgical orthopedic rehabilitation: a multicenter study

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Pain Management
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Postsurgical orthopedic rehabilitation for lower limb patients often involves significant pain.
• Understanding the characteristics and impact of this pain is crucial for optimizing recovery.
• Neuropathic pain is a common and challenging aspect of postsurgical pain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify and characterize pain in patients undergoing lower limb orthopedic rehabilitation.
• To investigate the impact of pain on the progression and interruption of rehabilitation.
• To identify the prevalence of neuropathic pain in this patient population.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter, cross-sectional study involving 139 inpatients in rehabilitation departments.
• Pain intensity assessed using Numeric Rating Scale (NRS); characteristics evaluated with McGill Pain Questionnaire and ID Pain.
• Quality of Life (QoL) measured by Short Form 36 Health Status Survey; semi-structured questionnaires used for pain impact assessment.

Main Results:

• 82% of patients reported at least moderate pain (NRS ≥ 3).
• 45.6% had probable or highly probable neuropathic pain, correlated with higher pain intensity.
• Severe pain was linked to lower QoL scores, and pain interfered with rehabilitation in 38.6% of cases, leading to discontinuation in 18.5%.

Conclusions:

• High incidence and intensity of postsurgical pain, particularly neuropathic pain, significantly affect rehabilitation.
• Clinicians must prioritize pain assessment and management, especially for neuropathic pain.
• Tailored pain therapy may improve patient adherence and long-term outcomes in orthopedic rehabilitation.