Psychology of nerve injury, repair, and recovery: a systematic review.
Yaw Adu, Cameron T Cox, Evan J Hernandez and 3 others
PMID 39568638WHAT IT FOUND
Psychosocial factors like anxiety and PTSD are linked to worse pain and function in nerve injuries.
Screening for mental health distress may help when physical tests do not match patient symptoms, as psychological state modulates recovery outcomes.
Key findings
01Depression and PTSD are associated with decreased functional recovery and worse outcomes in peripheral nerve injuries.
02In carpal tunnel syndrome, psychological factors correlate with disability more strongly than electrodiagnostic testing.
03There is no consensus that psychological factors cause nerve injuries, but they significantly modulate symptom severity and recovery.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The review did not use formal quality assessment tools like GRADE or RevMan to evaluate the included studies. The included studies varied widely in design, population, and outcome measures, making direct comparison difficult. Causality between psychological factors and nerve injury outcomes cannot be established from this review, as associations do not prove cause. The search was limited to articles published up to December 2022.
Declared interests
The authors declared that no financial support was received for the research, authorship, or publication of this article.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that psychological factors are the cause of the nerve injury. The review shows these factors modulate recovery and symptom severity, but evidence on whether they predispose patients to injury is inconsistent.