Question:

How is pain treated after surgery?

Answer:

There are many types of pain medication, including opiates or narcotics (drugs that dull pain and make you very drowsy), local anesthetics (drugs that deaden the sensation of pain in a specific area without putting you to sleep), and anti-inflammatory medications (drugs that treat the irritation or infection that may be causing pain).

There are also many different delivery methods, including oral (by mouth), intravenous (into a vein), and epidural (into the space around the spinal cord) administration. Depending on the surgery and the patient's clinical situation, a single medication or combination of medications and one or more modes of delivery may be used.

Studies show that patients who use pain medication (such as narcotics) early and aggressively after surgery have shorter hospital stays, suffer fewer chronic-pain problems later, and actually end up using fewer painkillers overall than those who avoid pain medication.

There is some evidence that extreme suffering from pain can weaken your body's immune system. The risk of addiction to pain medication has been shown to be extremely low in patients using such medications for post-operative pain.