Correlation between Body Mass Index (BMI) and Early Postoperative Pain in Adults Undergoing Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy

Background Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy surgery has become a common treatment for meniscal injuries; however, early postoperative pain significantly affects patient satisfaction with this surgery. Previous studies have largely explored the differences between arthroscopic partial meniscectomy and conservative rehabilitation, as well as factors affecting postoperative quality of life, with less focus on the relationship between the preoperative body mass index (BMI) and early postoperative pain following arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. This study is based on early feedback from patients after arthroscopic meniscal repair surgery, where the primary concern is early postoperative pain, to analyze the correlation between preoperative BMI and early postoperative pain after arthroscopic meniscal repair in adults. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 221 adult patients who underwent arthroscopic partial meniscectomy at Meizhou People's Hospital, Guangdong Province, China, in 2023. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, stratified analysis, and threshold effect assessment were employed to evaluate the impact of preoperative BMI, age, sex, disease duration, cartilage injury severity, and meniscal injury grade on postoperative pain. A fitted curve between BMI and postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) score was plotted to visualize the correlation, and the model's efficacy was analyzed via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results After adjusting for confounding factors through univariate and multivariate analyses, preoperative BMI ( β  = 0.20, P < 0.01), with an odds ratio of 1.23 and a 95% confidence interval of 1.09–1.38, was identified as a significant factor influencing early postoperative pain. The relationship between the two variables was nonlinear, with a threshold effect revealing BMI = 25.7 as a critical inflection point, where pain significantly changed. The ROC curve analysis indicated that BMI has moderate predictive power for postoperative pain risk (AUC = 0.67). Conclusion A significant correlation exists between preoperative BMI and early postoperative pain following arthroscopic partial meniscectomy, with a nonlinear relationship and a key inflection point at BMI = 25.7. This finding can aid in the creation of personalized treatment, management and rehabilitation plans, thus improving patient satisfaction after surgery.