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Updated: Apr 23, 2026
An Experimental Paradigm for the Prediction of Post-Operative Pain PPOP
Published on: January 27, 2010
Prediction of postoperative pain intensity after lumbar spinal surgery using pain sensitivity and preoperative back
Ho-Joong Kim1, Joon-Hee Park, Jang-Woo Kim
1Spine Center and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Sungnam, South Korea.
Objectives:
To investigate the role of preoperative pain sensitivity and preoperative symptom severity for prediction of postoperative pain intensity after lumbar spine surgery.
Methods:
This study consisted of two groups who underwent decompression surgery alone (62 patients) or decompression with fusion surgery (37 patients) for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ) and visual analog pain scale (VAS) for back pain and leg pain were collected preoperatively with detailed medical history. The assessment was performed immediately after surgery when the patients had completely recovered and regained their complete consciousness from general anesthesia (H0) and subsequently 4, 8, 18, 30, 48, and 72 hours (H4, H8, H18, H30, H48, and H72) thereafter as they recovered.
Results:
Both groups showed a decrease in back pain and leg pain with the time postoperatively. In fusion group, preoperative VAS for back pain was significantly correlated with postoperative VAS for back pain at H0, H4, H8, and H18, and PSQ minor/total PSQ also showed a significant correlation with postoperative back pain at H48 and H72. In contrast, only total PSQ and PSQ minors were significantly correlated with postoperative back pain at H18 and H30 in decompression group. Hierarchical regression analysis finally showed that each preoperative back pain and PSQ minor was predictive of immediate postoperative back pain (from H0 to H18) in fusion group and delayed postoperative back pain (H18, H30) in decompression group.
Conclusions:
The study highlights that each preoperative back pain and individual pain sensitivity could predict the different aspects of postoperative pain after lumbar surgery.
