Factors Contributing to Postoperative Pain in Orthopaedic Surgeries: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective: Orthopaedic surgeries are widely performed across the globe. It is pertinent to explore approaches that contribute to alleviating pain, restoring function, and improving the quality of life of patients with musculoskeletal disorders and injuries. The aim of the review was to develop a toolkit, contributing to preoperative assessment to aid clinicians in identifying patients at higher risk of experiencing post-operative (Pre-Op) pain. Methods: We adopted a systematic review; searched the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Heath Literature (CINAHL), EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, EBSCOhost and ProQuest Central databases for articles published between 2010 and 2024. We adopted a thematic data analysis of the extracted data. Results: Nine articles were reviewed. Socio-demographic factors, clinical factors and Psychological/behavioural factors were dominant factors contributing to post-orthopaedic surgical pain in patients. Conclusion: Drawing on the best available evidence, we developed a comprehensive toolkit aimed at improving the understanding and management of post-orthopaedic surgical pain. We recommend piloting this toolkit to evaluate its effectiveness in clinical settings. Central to successful pain alleviation is the integration of pre-surgical and post-surgical pain assessments, which enables more targeted and responsive interventions.