The role of post‐trauma stress symptoms in the development of chronic musculoskeletal pain and disability: A systematic review

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Traumatic injuries are amongst the leading causes of death and disability in the world across all age groups. This systematic review aimed to (1) describe the role of post‐traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) on the development of chronic pain and/or pain‐related disability following musculoskeletal trauma and (2) report pain and or pain‐related disability by injury severity/type. DATABASE AND DATA TREATMENT: Electronic databases were searched, from inception to 31 November 2021 and updated on 10 May 2022, to identify studies in which: participants were adults aged ≥16 years sustaining any traumatic event that resulted in one or more musculoskeletal injuries; an outcome measure of PTSS was used within 3 months of a traumatic event; the presence of pain and/or pain‐related disability was recorded at a follow‐up of 3 months or more. Two reviewers independently screened papers and assessed the quality of included studies. RESULTS: Eight studies were included. Owing to between‐study heterogeneity, the results were synthesized using a narrative approach. Five studies investigated the relationship between PTSS and pain. Participants with PTSS were more likely to develop persistent pain for at least 12 months post‐injury. Six studies assessed the relationship between PTSS and pain‐related disability. The results suggest that patients with PTSS had significantly higher disability levels for at least 12 months post‐injury. CONCLUSION: Findings from this comprehensive systematic review support a clear relationship between PTSS post‐injury and future pain/disability, with the potential importance of certain PTSS clusters (hyper‐arousal and numbing). SIGNIFICANCE: The findings of this systematic review indicate an association between PTSS reported within 3 months of a traumatic musculoskeletal injury and the development of longer‐term pain and disability. The PTSS clusters of ‘hyper‐arousal’ and ‘numbing’ appear to be of particular importance in this relationship. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021285243.