High prevalence of persistent pain 6 months after arthroscopic subacromial decompression and/or acromioclavicular joint resection.

PURPOSE: The aims of this prospective study were to determine the prevalence of pain 6 months after arthroscopic subacromial decompression (ASD) and/or acromioclavicular joint resection (AC resection), to reveal causes of the pain, and to identify risk factors for persistent pain.

METHODS

Preoperatively, patients were tested for their endogenous capacity to modulate pain and completed questionnaires concerning psychological vulnerability. Patients with pain 6 months after surgery were examined by an experienced orthopaedic surgeon to reveal any shoulder pathology responsible for the pain.

RESULTS

Data from 101 patients were available for analysis 6 months after surgery. Thirty-six patients had persistent pain: 32 underwent examination by the surgeon who identified shoulder pathology in ten patients, but not in the remaining 22 in whom ongoing insurance case, unemployment, and a general tendency to worry were risk factors for persistent pain.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of persistent pain 6 months after ASD and/or AC resection was 35.6% (95% CI 26.1-45.8%) and the proportion of patients with shoulder pathology was 9.9%. An association between ongoing insurance case, unemployment, general tendency to worry (t-STAI), and unexplained persistent pain 6 months after surgery was found.