Catastrophic Thinking and Pain Alleviation After Lower Extremity Surgery

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Pain Management
• Psychology

Background:

• Postoperative pain management is crucial for patient recovery.
• Requests for opioid pain medication extending beyond initial recovery are common.
• Cognitive biases and psychological factors may influence these requests.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors associated with patients' desire for additional opioid prescriptions.
• To assess patient satisfaction with pain relief at suture removal after lower extremity surgery.
• To explore the relationship between psychological factors and pain management outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study was conducted with 134 patients post-lower extremity surgery.
• Patients completed questionnaires on catastrophic thinking, depression symptoms, and physical limitations.
• Logistic regression analysis was used to identify associated factors.

Main Results:

• Smoking and greater catastrophic thinking were linked to a desire for opioid refills.
• Higher catastrophic thinking correlated with lower satisfaction with pain alleviation.
• Surgery size did not significantly impact pain alleviation or satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Unhelpful cognitive biases regarding pain are associated with requests for more opioids.
• Addressing patient misconceptions about pain is important for effective pain management.
• Psychological interventions may improve outcomes for patients seeking extended pain relief.