Pain after adult deformity surgery

Abstract

Adult spinal deformity is a broad spectrum of disorders that are becoming more prevalent with an ageing population. In those with moderate to severe deformity, surgical correction of spinal alignment is an increasingly common treatment and has demonstrated improvement in patients’ quality of life. Whilst continued research in risk stratification, advances in surgical techniques, and preoperative optimization has taken place, rates of adverse outcomes following surgery for adult spinal deformity are still frequent. Pain is a common complaint after spinal deformity correction; however, whether this pain is deemed a ‘normal’ amount, or a ‘pathological’ pain has not been well characterized in the literature. This paper aims to provide a framework for evaluating pain after spinal deformity correction surgery in order to guide clinical decision making.