Post-Surgical Pain

You expect some discomfort after surgery. Even a minimally invasive procedure involves incisions and at least minor trauma to your muscles and other tissues. In some cases, though, your post-surgical pain can last much longer than it should. At Commonwealth Pain & Spine, with offices in Kentucky and Indiana, the board-certified physicians offer customized post-surgical pain management to help you get back to your regular activities. Call the office nearest you today. Commonwealth’s Kentucky offices are in St. Matthews, Elizabethtown, Lexington, Crestview Hills, Owensboro, and London. Indiana offices are in Evansville, Vincennes, New Albany, Carrollton, and Jasper. They also serve patients from Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio.

What is Post-Surgical Pain?

When you have a surgery, even a minimally invasive procedure, in addition to the operation itself, which can be rough on muscles, connective tissue, and organs, your surgeon makes incisions in your skin and tissues to perform the procedure. As a result, a certain degree of discomfort is expected after surgery.

Depending on the type and site of your surgery, you can experience different types of pain.

• Nociceptive Pain: Nociceptive pain is the acute discomfort caused by damage or trauma to your skin, muscle, bone, and organs. For example, if you sprain an ankle or break a bone, you feel immediate pain. That’s nociceptive pain. Nociceptive pain is the type of pain that most patients talk about following a surgery or injury. Several types of nociceptive pain include -
  • Superficial Somatic Pain - pain that is injury-related and subsides with healing
  • Deep Somatic Pain - pain that comes from tissues deeper within the body
  • Visceral Pain - pain that comes from internal organs
• Neuropathic Pain: Damaged or compressed nerves cause neuropathic pain. It’s often caused by surgery, injury, and diseases like diabetes. Central neuropathic pain stems from your brain or spinal cord, while peripheral neuropathic pain begins in the peripheral nerves that extend throughout your body.
• Referred Pain: You can also experience referred pain after surgery. Referred pain develops when your brain isn’t able to identify the precise site of your pain. For example, arm pain is a common sign of a heart attack.

How is Post-Surgical Pain Managed?

Whether you need pain management services directly following surgery or you have lasting post-surgical pain, the physicians at Commonwealth Pain & Spine provide customized pain management.

For example, you can benefit from a short course of pain-relieving medication for the first few days after surgery. For lasting pain relief, you and your pain management expert will focus on recovery. They could suggest physical therapy to restore your strength and flexibility and spinal injections and nerve blocks to reduce your risk of dependence on pain medication.

How Long Should Post-Surgical Pain Last?

Everyone experiences pain differently. Depending on the type and site of your surgery, you could have substantial pain relief within a few days or you might need more time to recover. Make sure to talk to your physician about your pain and any side effects you might experience as a result of your pain management therapies.

Call Commonwealth Pain & Spine today to learn about post-surgical pain management.