Pain-sensitive temperament and postoperative pain

PURPOSE. To describe the relationship between pain-sensitive temperament and self-report of pain intensity following surgery. DESIGN AND METHODS. Fifty-nine adolescents and young adults (average age 14 years) undergoing spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis completed the Sensitivity Temperament Inventory for Pain–Child version (STIP-C). The Pearson correlation between STIP-C scores and the highest pain intensity for each of the first three postoperative days was investigated. RESULTS. There was a small but significant correlation between the Perceptual Sensitivity and Symptom Reporting subscales of the STIP-C and pain intensity measured on the third postoperative day. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. Aspects of the pain-sensitive temperament may be important in understanding the variability in postoperative pain. This is the first investigation of the relationship between pain-sensitive temperament and surgical pain. More research is needed in this area.