Negative Pain Thoughts Questionnaire Short Form (NPTQ-SF) Scores and Outcomes After Arthroscopic Meniscectomy

Pain is multifactorial, and pain intensity has been shown to be influenced by patients' thoughts. The Negative Pain Thoughts Questionnaire Short Form (NPTQ-SF) can be used to quantify unhelpful negative cognitive biases about pain, but the relationship between negative pain thoughts and orthopaedic surgery outcomes is not known.

To evaluate the prevalence of negative pain thoughts in patients undergoing arthroscopic meniscectomy using the NPTQ-SF survey and assess the relationship these thoughts have to knee function, general health, pain, and satisfaction before and after surgery.

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

In total, 146 patients undergoing arthroscopic meniscectomy were administered the 4-item NPTQ-SF, 12-item Short Form Survey (SF-12), International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) questionnaire, and visual analog scale pain survey preoperatively between July 2021 and August 2022. The same surveys were completed at a minimum of 3 months and no later than 1 year postoperatively by 92 patients confirmed to have undergone meniscectomy.

NPTQ-SF scores were correlated with IKDC, SF-12, and satisfaction score preoperatively and at least 3 months postoperatively (mean, 108.5 ± 43.7 days). Preoperative NPTQ-SF scores were significantly negatively correlated with postoperative IKDC (R = -0.284), SF-12 (R = -0.266 and -0.328), and visual analog scale pain (R = 0.294) scores, while a relationship with postoperative satisfaction did not reach statistical significance (P = .067). Patients with a preoperative NPTQ-SF score >8 were less likely to achieve a Patient Acceptable Symptom State on the postoperative IKDC questionnaire (39% vs 63%; P = .03). Patients with a history of a psychiatric or chronic pain diagnoses have worse NPTQ-SF, SF-12, and IKDC scores pre- and postoperatively.

The level of negative pain thoughts in patients undergoing meniscectomy is related to knee function, general health, and pain. Patients with a high level of negative pain thoughts are less likely to achieve a favorable outcome from meniscectomy, with a score ≥8 representing a clinically significant threshold for preoperative screening.