Stress and subjective evaluation of postoperative pain

Aim of the study: Evaluation of the severity of stress and post-operative pain, and determining the relationship between stress and pain in patients following orthopedic surgery.

Material and methods: The studied group consisted of 50 people, aged 30-60 years. The patients underwent surgery due to osteoarthritis of the hip or knee, staying in the Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics for Children and Adults in the Provincial Children’s Hospital of Torun. Perceived Stress Scale PPS 10, Pain Intensity Scale NRS, Stress Intensity Scale 0-10.

Results: Patients who underwent orthopedic surgery evaluated the levels of experienced stress on the average level. An important moderator of experienced stress level was the duration of the disease. The greatest concentration of stress occurred in patients suffering over five years, and the smallest in patients suffering for a year. It was also shown that the longer duration of the disease was the stronger the pain was in the first and third postoperative day. With the increased intensity of stress, the level of pain intensity increased on the following days after surgery.

Conclusions: Our results provide evidence that there is a relationship between experienced stress and the subjective assessment of postoperative pain. Therefore, the assessment of the clinical status should be as important as the assessment of mental status. Preoperative interview properly conducted may be an effective method of reducing the stress and thereby reducing pain. Therefore, the results obtained indicate that the level of stress and pain increases with duration of the disease. It would be worth consider programs psychological support for these patients.