This study provides moderate-level evidence for pain catastrophizing as an independent predictor of chronic pain post-TKA .
BACKGROUND Total knee arthroplasty ( TKA ) is a common and costly surgical procedure .
Despite high success rates , many TKA patients develop chronic pain  in the months and years following surgery , constituting a public health burden .
Pain catastrophizing is a construct that reflects anxious preoccupation with pain , inability to inhibit pain-related fears , amplification of the significance of pain vis-à-vis health implication s , and a sense of helplessness regarding pain .
Recent research suggests that it may be an important risk factor for untoward TKA outcomes .
To clarify this impact , we systematic ally review ed the literature to date on pain catastrophizing as a prospect i ve predictor of chronic pain following TKA .
Catastrophizing and depressive symptoms as prospective predictors of outcomes following total knee replacement.
Several recent reports suggest that pain-related catastrophizing  is a risk factor for poor acute pain outcomes following surgical interventions . However , it has been less clear whether levels of catastrophizing influence longer-term postoperative outcomes . Data were analyzed from a relatively small number ( n=43 ) of patients who underwent total knee replacement and were followed for 12 months after their surgery . Previous research has suggested that high levels of both catastrophizing and depression are associated with elevated acute postoperative pain complaints among patients undergoing knee surgery . In this sample ,  catastrophizing and depression at each of the assessment points were studied as prospect i ve predictors of pain ( both global pain ratings and pain at night ) at the subsequent assessment point over the course of one year . The predictive patterns differed somewhat across measures of pain reporting ; depressive symptoms were unique predictors of greater global pain complaints , while catastrophizing was a specific and unique predictor of elevated nighttime pain . While surgical outcomes following total knee replacement are , on average , quite good , a significant minority of patients continue to experience long-term pain . The present findings suggest that high levels of catastrophizing and depression may promote enhanced pain levels , indicating that interventions design ed to reduce catastrophizing and depressive symptoms may have the potential to further improve joint replacement outcomes
This study provides moderate-level evidence for pain catastrophizing as an independent predictor of chronic pain post-TKA .
BACKGROUND Total knee arthroplasty ( TKA ) is a common and costly surgical procedure .
Despite high success rates , many TKA patients develop chronic pain  in the months and years following surgery , constituting a public health burden .
Pain catastrophizing is a construct that reflects anxious preoccupation with pain , inability to inhibit pain-related fears , amplification of the significance of pain vis-à-vis health implication s , and a sense of helplessness regarding pain .
Recent research suggests that it may be an important risk factor for untoward TKA outcomes .
To clarify this impact , we systematic ally review ed the literature to date on pain catastrophizing as a prospect i ve predictor of chronic pain following TKA .