Comorbid mild traumatic brain injury increases pain symptoms in patients suffering from an isolated limb fracture.

OBJECTIVES: This study seeks to evaluate the effects of a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) on pain in patients with an isolated limb fracture (ILF) when compared to a matched cohort group with no mTBI (control group).

PATIENTS AND METHODS: All subjects included in this observational study suffered from an ILF. Groups were matched according to the type of injury, sex, age, and time since the accident. Main outcome measurements were: Standardized semi-structured interviews at follow-up of a Level I Trauma Center, and a questionnaire on fracture-related pain symptoms. Factors susceptible to influence the perception of pain, such as age, sex, severity of post-concussive symptoms, and worker compensation were also assessed.

RESULTS: A total of 68 subjects (36 females; 45 years old) with an ILF were selected, 34 with a comorbid mTBI and 34 without (24/34 with an upper limb fracture per group, 71% of total sample). Patients with mTBI and an ILF reported significantly higher pain scores at the time of assessment (mean: 49days, SD: 34.9), compared to the control group (p<0.0001; mean difference 2.8, 95% confidence interval 1.8-4.0). Correlational analyses show no significant association between the level of pain and factors such as age, sex, severity of post-concussive symptoms, and worker compensation.

CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that mTBI exacerbate perception of pain in the acute phase when occurring with an ILF, and were not explained by age, sex, post-concussive symptoms, or worker compensation. Rather, it appears possible that neurological sequelae induced by mTBI may interfere with the normal recovery of pain following trauma.