Complex regional pain syndrome type 1 after fractures of the distal radius: a prospective study of the role of psychological factors

A prospective study was designed to investigate the question “Do patients who develop Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type 1 (CRPS Type 1) after fracture of the distal radius display different psychological behaviour patterns and/or are more depressive than those who recover uneventfully after this fracture?” Sixty-two patients of mean age 56 years with displaced distal radius fractures were operated on by closed reduction and percutaneous fixation with K-wires. All these patients were examined psychologically on the day after the operation. A series of standardized, self-administered questionnaires was used to assess personality and depression. Fifty of the 62 patients were reassessed at 2 months for symptoms and signs of CRPS Type 1 and a diagnosis of this condition made on clinical grounds. Nine patients (18%) were diagnosed as having CRPS Type 1. There were no significant differences in scores on any of the personality and depression scales between CRPS Type 1 and non-CRPS Type 1 patients. Therefore, patients who eventually developed CRPS Type 1 after radial forearm fracture had neither a unique psychological pattern nor displayed more symptoms of depression than those who recovered uneventfully.