Stress and anxiety are no fun, but sometimes they can be hard to prevent before a serious life event like a surgery. However, new research shows that de-stressing before surgery not only makes you feel in a better state of mind, but it can actually have real world benefits for the success of your surgery.
According to research presented at the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society Annual Meeting, individuals with higher levels of preoperative anxiety reported higher levels of pain and lower levels of foot function after elective foot and ankle surgery.
“Because patients in the higher anxiety group had levels of pain one standard deviation above the general population, patient counselling may be necessary to help them understand their results,” said study presenter Dr. Sandra Klein.
Foot Surgery and Anxiety
For their study, researchers reviewed 88 patients who underwent elective foot and ankle surgery in 2016. Patients had their preoperative anxiety levels gauged using the PROMIS anxiety test, and they were also scored on a pre-op pain test, physical function test and depression test. Patients were sectioned into two groups, an elevated emotional distress group (25 patients) and a less emotional distress group (63 patients).
After looking at their post-op scores, here’s what researchers found:
- Individuals in the higher preoperative emotional distress level group reported more preoperative pain and worse preoperative function.
- After surgery, all patients experienced similar levels of improved pain and function.
- However, patients in the higher pre-op stress group reported higher levels of pain and decreased function six months post-op compared to the group with less emotional stress before surgery.
In other words, patients were less likely to experience long term relief from their foot condition if they had high levels of stress before surgery.
Lowering Stress Before Foot Surgery
Obviously it’s easy to say things like “lower stress before surgery and you’ll have an increased chance of a better surgical outcome,” but people can’t just lower their anxiety levels on a whim. If we could, anxiety wouldn’t be one of the biggest social disorders in the world. So how can we lower our stress levels before surgery? Here are some tips.
- Knowledge is power – The more you know about the surgery, the less doubt and concerns will creep into your mind.
- Ask questions – Unsure about anything? Run it by your surgeon and you’ll usually find some peace of mind.
- Talk to a friend, family member or online support group about any concerns you might have. Talking these out can help keep you in a good head space.
- Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, try to focus on all that you’ll be able to do it assuming surgery goes as it should.
- Eat healthy and get plenty of exercise, as this helps release powerful chemicals in your brain that can help keep you calm and relaxed.
For more tips about staying relaxed ahead of surgery, or if you have any concerns about your upcoming operation, don’t hesitate to reach out to Dr. Silverman in the comments section below.
