Is This Going to Hurt, Doc? Predicting Pain with Corticosteroid Injections for Upper Extremity Conditions.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Pain Management
• Psychology

Background:

• Corticosteroid injections (CSIs) are common treatments for upper extremity conditions.
• Patient anxiety regarding procedural pain can impact treatment decisions and adherence.
• Understanding factors influencing injection pain perception is crucial for patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To correlate patient-reported pain tolerance and resilience with pain experienced during and after corticosteroid injections.
• To compare physician predictions of patient pain tolerance and resilience with patient self-assessments.

Main Methods:

• One hundred patients undergoing upper extremity CSIs were enrolled.
• Pre-injection assessments included resilience scales, pain interference forms, and pain tolerance evaluations.
• Physicians predicted patient resilience and pain tolerance; patients reported post-injection pain.

Main Results:

• Physician predictions of resilience and pain tolerance were lower than patient self-reports.
• Injection pain correlated inversely with physician-predicted pain tolerance and resilience.
• Patient-reported pain tolerance did not correlate with injection pain.
• Injection pain did not affect willingness for future procedures.

Conclusions:

• Physician clinical experience can predict patient pain perception during CSIs.
• Accurate patient counseling regarding procedural pain is vital for informed consent and outcomes.
• Integrating physician predictions into patient communication may improve the injection experience.