Chronic postoperative pain and psychological factors

Abstract

Chronic postoperative pain and psychological factors Abstract. Chronic postsurgical pain is highly prevalent, also or particularly in hand surgical patients. Considerable progress has been made in identifying risk and protective factors for chronic postsurgical pain. Psychological - that is cognitive, affective and behavioral - aspects including depression, anxiety, pain catastrophizing and patient trust in physician also play a key role in determining the probability of developing chronic pain after surgery. These factors are measurable and serve as important targets for specific psychological interventions by the surgeon or an interdisciplinary team. Empirical evaluation of these treatments demonstrates that psychological as well as interdisciplinary multimodal interventions are accepted by surgical patients and able to reduce postsurgical pain and disability.