The prevalence of severe chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is 10% across a range of operations, and 22% of patients undergoing hand surgery develop CPSP 1 year after surgery. Identifying an immediate postoperative predictor of remote pain resolution occurring months after surgery has important clinical implications for the management of acute pain and prevention of CPSP. We hypothesized that, by comparing 15 acute pain descriptors among patients undergoing CTR or TFR, worst pain reported on postoperative day (POD) 10 would best predict time to pain resolution. Assessment of pain intensity on POD 10 best predicts remote time to pain resolution in patients undergoing minor hand surgery under local anesthesia. Early identification of patients at high risk for CPSP allows for early intervention, closer follow-up, and initiation of multimodal pain therapy. Average pain intensity reported on POD 10 best predicted time to pain resolution and was significantly associated with the development of CPSP 90 days after surgery. Patients at high risk for the development of CPSP reported average pain on POD 10 ≥ 3.