Postoperative Pain After Ambulatory Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery

Postoperative Pain After Ambulatory Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery

Shoulder disorders are frequent, often associated with pain and occur in 7-34% of the general population and in 21% of the elderly population.

Of particular interest is prediction of postoperative pain after outpatient arthroscopic shoulder surgery since the clinical experience is that surgery does not always provides pain relief and the interindividual variation in acute postoperative pain intensity is significant. In addition, a Swedish study has shown that shoulder operations are associated with longer convalescence than other orthopaedic outpatient surgeries.

This study is a prospective cohort with 6 months follow-up. Patients receive 5 questionnaires (preoperatively, 24 hours, 1 week, 3 months, 6 months, 1 and 2 years after surgery). The questionnaires contain questions about:

• Preoperative shoulder pain (type, intensity and duration)

• Preoperative pain in other areas besides the shoulder

• Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)

• Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC)

• Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE)

• 3 validated physiological questionnaires:

  • State Trait Anxiety (STAI)
  • Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS)
  • Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)

In addition a cold pressor test is performed on the day of surgery to test the patients' threshold and ability to repress pain.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Arthroscopic shoulder surgery (subacromial decompression and acromioclavicular joint resection).

Exclusion Criteria:

• • < 18 years

  • mental disorders
  • Unable to speak and/or read Danish
  • Shoulder surgery within the last year
  • Raynauds phenomenon
  • Cuff suture
  • Biceps tenodesis
  • Labrum suture