Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 7, 2025
A Quantitative Sensory Testing Paradigm to Obtain Measures of Pain Processing in Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer Surgery
Published on: January 18, 2018
Is There a Difference in Fear-Avoidance, Beliefs, Anxiety and Depression Between Post-Surgery and Non-Surgical
Thiago Alves Rodrigues1, Eduardo José Silva Gomes de Oliveira1, Beatriz Morais Costa1
1Chronic Pain Clinic, University Hospital of the Federal University of Maranhão (HU-UFMA), São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil.
Introduction:
Patients with post-surgery persistent spinal pain syndrome (PSPS) or non-surgical PSPS might be affected by sustained fear-avoidance beliefs (FAB), anxiety and depression. In this scenario, this study aimed to describe those aspects in patients with post-surgery PSPS and non-surgical PSPS.
Methods:
This study included patients with PSPS, and non-surgical PSPS, over 18 years, with quarterly evaluations at the Chronic Pain Clinic. After evaluation, demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained. The Beck Depression Inventory-II, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Douleur neuropathique 4 questions, Visual Analog Pain Scale, and Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire-Brazilian Version (FABQ-Brazil) were used to evaluate psychological aspects.
Results:
Forty-six patients were included, 23 patients with post-surgery PSPS and 23 with non-surgical PSPS. Both groups had high scores in the physical and work domains of the FABQ, high rates of absenteeism and most patients in these groups had moderate-to-severe neuropathic pain and some degree of anxiety and/or depression. The groups showed no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) when comparing all questionnaires.
Discussion:
This is one of the first studies to evaluate FAB and other associated psychological factors, such as anxiety and depression, in patients with post-surgery PSPS in a follow-up several years after surgery and compare with patients diagnosed with non-surgical PSPS. In this study, most patients in both groups had high scores in the FABQ domains, not having statistically relevant difference between groups.
Conclusion:
Even though there was no statistically relevant difference between the PSPS patient with or without surgical history in terms of the assessed outcome measures, the described scores for fear-avoidance beliefs, pain, anxiety and depression were high, showing an interference in the daily life activities of those patients.
