Van Wyngaarden JJ, Noehren B, Matuszewski PE, et al. - Frequently poor long-term pain and disability outcomes are experienced by patients with lower extremity fracture requiring surgical fixation, indicating the necessity for a risk stratification tool that can inform patient prognosis early in recovery. Researchers aimed at examining the validity of the STarT-Lower Extremity Screening Tool (STarT-LE) for accomplishing prediction for patients with lower extremity fracture requiring surgical fixation. This prospective cohort study was performed enrolling 122 patients with lower extremity fracture and no history of chronic pain. Of these patients, 114 (93.4%) completed 12-month follow-up, 45% of whom reported chronic pain at 12-months. Findings suggest correlation of rise in STarT-LE risk category at 6-weeks with worse chronic pain, pain interference, and physical function at 12-months. Multivariable results revealed that odds of developing chronic pain were up to 13.14 greater in the high risk group vs the low risk group. They suggest the potential of the STarT-LE Screening Tool to inform the post-surgical management of patients with lower extremity fracture.