Pain levels during distraction osteogenesis with lengthening nails in 168 cases

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Biomedical engineering

Background:

• Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is a surgical technique used to lengthen bones.
• Lengthening nails (LN) are internal devices used to facilitate DO.
• Understanding pain levels during DO with LN is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess pain levels experienced by patients undergoing distraction osteogenesis using lengthening nails.
• To analyze pain trends during the distraction phase in a large cohort.

Main Methods:

• 168 patients undergoing tibial or femoral DO with five different LN models were studied.
• Standardized medical protocols were followed for pain management.
• Daily pain was recorded using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) during the distraction period.

Main Results:

• The average NRS pain score decreased by 36.3% from 2.84 on postoperative day 1 to 1.81 after 62 days.
• A significant portion of the pain reduction (23.6%) occurred within the first thirty days.
• No specific influence factors (LN model, bone type, approach, side, age, gender) were identified as affecting pain levels.

Conclusions:

• Pain during the distraction phase of DO with LN is generally low.
• Pain levels demonstrate a consistent decreasing trend throughout the distraction period.
• Pain is effectively managed with non-opioid analgesics, suggesting good patient tolerance.