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Background: Cyberchondria may be defined as heightened distress evoked through excessive searches of the internet for medical information. In healthy people, cyberchondria is associated with a greater intolerance of uncertainty and greater health anxiety. These relationships are likely bidirectional. People who have a greater intolerance of uncertainty may be more likely to search the internet for medical information and have greater health anxiety. This greater health anxiety may lead to an increased likelihood of engaging in further internet searches and greater intolerance of uncertainty. These three constructs are important for patients because they impact patient function and health care costs. We were specifically interested in understanding the role of cyberchondria in the association between intolerance of uncertainty and health anxiety among orthopaedic patients because it has not been explored before and because knowledge about these interactions could inform treatment recommendations.Questions/purposes: Does cyberchondria mediate (that is, explain) the association between intolerance of uncertainty and health anxiety in orthopaedic patients searching for medical information on the internet, after controlling for potentially confounding variables?Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 104 patients who had searched the internet for any medical information about their current condition. A research assistant approached 155 patients attending two orthopaedic outpatient clinics, one hand and upper extremity service and one sports medicine clinic, during a 3-month period. Ten patients declined to participate and 41 patients were excluded, predominantly because they had never searched for medical information online. The patients completed the Cyberchondria Severity Scale, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-short version, Short Health Anxiety Inventory, and a numerical rating scale for pain intensity at baseline, as well as demographic and clinical questionnaires. We performed a series of linear regression analyses to determine whether a greater intolerance of uncertainty predicts greater cyberchondria (mediator) and whether cyberchondria predicts greater health anxiety. Although it is more appropriate to use the language of association (such as "whether cyberchondria is associated with health anxiety") in many observational studies, here, we opted to use the language of causation because this is the conventional language for studies testing statistical mediation.Results: After controlling for potentially confounding variables including pain intensity, multiple pain conditions, and education, cyberchondria explained 33% of the variance of the effect of intolerance of uncertainty on health anxiety (95% CI, 6.98 to 114.72%; p < 0.001).Conclusions: Among orthopaedic patients who search the internet for medical information, a greater intolerance of uncertainty is associated with greater cyberchondria, which is associated with greater anxiety about health. Identifying patients with an intolerance of uncertainty and educating them about the negative role of compulsive searches for medical information may improve the success of orthopaedic treatment. Orthopaedic surgeons should also consider making referrals for cognitive behavioral therapy in these instances to increase the patient's tolerance of uncertainty, decrease internet searching habits, and reduce anxiety about health.Level Of Evidence: Level III, prognostic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fear avoidance can play a prominent role in maladaptive responses to an injury. In injured athletes, such pain-related fear or fear avoidance behavior may have a substantial influence on the recovery process. Specifically, it may explain why some are able to reach their preinjury abilities, whereas others are unable to return to sport.Questions/purposes: (1) Is fear avoidance in athletes associated with decreased physical function after injury? (2) To what degree is fear avoidance associated with athletes' pain intensity?Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we recruited injured athletes-defined as patients with sports-related injury, weekly engagement in sport activities, participation in competitive events as part of a team or club, self-identification as an athlete, and a desire to return to sport after recovery-from an orthopaedic sports medicine center at a major urban university hospital. Of 130 approached patients, 102 (84% men; mean ± SD age 25 ± 8.5 years) met the inclusion criteria. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Athlete Fear Avoidance Questionnaire, which assesses injury-related fear and avoidance behavior specifically in an athletic population, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and two Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System measures: Physical Function Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) and Pain Intensity CAT.Results: After controlling for age, injury region (upper versus lower extremity), catastrophic thinking, and emotional distress, we found that an increase in athletes' fear avoidance was associated with a decrease in physical function (b = -0.32; p = 0.002). The model explained 30% of the variation in physical function with 7.3% explained uniquely by fear avoidance. After controlling for initial appointment/followup, surgery for the current condition, multiple pain conditions, history of prior sport-related injury/surgery, pain medication prescription, catastrophic thinking, and emotional distress, athletes' fear avoidance was not associated with pain (b = -0.14; p = 0.249). The model explained 40% of the variation in pain intensity and pain catastrophizing (b = 0.30; p = 0.001) uniquely explained 7.1% of this variation.Conclusions: In injured athletes, fear avoidance is independently associated with decreased physical function, whereas pain catastrophizing is associated with high pain intensity. Both level of an athlete's fear avoidance and catastrophic thinking about pain should be accounted for in clinical interventions aimed at helping athletes improve recovery and return to sport.Level Of Evidence: Level II, prognostic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although a parent's perception of his or her child's physical and emotional functioning may influence the course of the child's medical care, including access to care and decisions regarding treatment options, no studies have investigated whether the perceptions of a parent are concordant with that of an adolescent diagnosed with a sports-related orthopaedic injury. Identifying and understanding the potential discordance in coping and emotional distress within the athlete adolescent-parent dyads are important, because this discordance may have negative effects on adolescents' well-being.Questions/purposes: The purposes of this study were (1) to compare adolescent and parent proxy ratings of psychologic symptoms (depression and anxiety), coping skills (catastrophic thinking about pain and pain self-efficacy), and upper extremity physical function and mobility in a population of adolescent-parent dyads in which the adolescent had a sport-related injury; and (2) to compare scores of adolescents and parent proxies with normative scores when such are available.Methods: We enrolled 54 dyads (eg, pairs) of adolescent patients (mean age 16 years; SD = 1.6) presenting to a sports medicine practice with sports-related injuries as well as their accompanying parent(s). We used Patient-reported Outcomes Measurement Information System questionnaires to measure adolescents' depression, anxiety, upper extremity physical function, and mobility. We used the Pain Catastrophizing Scale short form to assess adolescents' catastrophic thinking about pain and the Pain Self-efficacy Scale short form to measure adolescents' pain self-efficacy. The accompanying parent, 69% mothers (37 of 54) and 31% fathers (17 of 54), completed parent proxy versions of each questionnaire.Results: Parents reported that their children had worse scores (47 ± 9) on depression than what the children themselves reported (43 ± 9; mean difference 4.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], -7.0 to 0.91; p = 0.011; medium effect size -0.47). Also, parents reported that their children engaged in catastrophic thinking about pain to a lesser degree (8 ± 5) than what the children themselves reported (13 ± 4; mean difference 4.5; 95% CI, 2.7-6.4; p < 0.001; large effect size 1.2). Because scores on depression and catastrophic thinking were comparable to the general population, and minimal clinically important difference scores are not available for these measures, it is unclear whether the relatively small observed differences between parents' and adolescents' ratings are clinically meaningful. Parents and children were concordant on their reports of the child's upper extremity physical function (patient perception 47 ± 10, parent proxy 47 ± 8, mean difference -0.43, p = 0.70), mobility (patient perception 43 ± 9, parent proxy 44 ± 9, mean difference -0.59, p = 0.64), anxiety (patient perception 43 ± 10, parent proxy 46 ± 8, mean difference -2.1, p = 0.21), and pain self-efficacy (patient perception 16 ± 5, parent proxy 15 ± 5, mean difference 0.70, p = 0.35).Conclusions: Parents rated their children as more depressed and engaging in less catastrophic thinking about pain than the adolescents rated themselves. Although these differences are statistically significant, they are of a small magnitude making it unclear as to how clinically important they are in practice. We recommend that providers keep in mind that parents may overestimate depressive symptoms and underestimate the catastrophic thinking about pain in their children, probe for these potential differences, and consider how they might impact medical care.Level Of Evidence: Level I, prognostic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the popularity of surgical repair of rotator cuff tears, literature regarding the indications for and timing of surgery are sparse. We performed a systematic review of the literature to investigate factors influencing the decision to surgically repair symptomatic, full-thickness rotator cuff tears. Specifically, how do demographic variables, duration of symptoms, timing of surgery, physical examination findings, and size of tear affect treatment outcome and indications for surgery? We reviewed the best available evidence, which offers some guidelines for surgical decision making. Variables suggest earlier surgical intervention may be needed in the setting of weakness and substantial functional disability. With regard to demographic variables, the evidence is unclear regarding their association with treatment outcome. However, older chronological age does not seem to portend a worse outcome. Pending worker's compensation claims does seem to negatively affect treatment results. Further research is required to define the indications for surgery for full thickness rotator cuff tears. However, the design and conduct of an ethical study to obtain Level I evidence on this issue will be a major challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]