Are you dealing with severe pain after your surgery? Post-surgical pain happens when, during surgery, one or more peripheral nerves get damaged. It is rare, but some patients might suffer from this condition after surgery. In case you develop chronic pain, treatment is necessary to manage the pain. To know more in detail, read these FAQs on post-surgical pain. Visit the best Pain Management Clinic in Brooklyn at Doral Health & Wellness or log on to www.doralhw.org.
Post-Surgical Pain FAQs
These FAQs on post-surgical pain help you understand what you need to know and how to manage it.
- What are the reasons for post-surgical pain?
Ans. Post-surgical pain occurs when one or more peripheral nerves are damaged during a surgical procedure. This type of pain can be acute or chronic in duration. If the pain lasts less than 3 months, it is an acute pain that occurs from inflammation and is a natural part of the healing process. Whereas chronic pain lasts longer and happens because the surgery involves cutting tissues and nerves, which get activated when the body senses injury, such as inflammation. Sometimes, these senses change the way the nervous system processes pain signals. Other times, the nerves that get cut during the procedure may regrow abnormally. Both of these outcomes can lead to chronic pain after surgery.
- What factors increase the risk of post-surgical pain?
Ans. Certain factors increase your risk of post-surgical pain, such as:
- Poor pain control immediately after the surgical procedure.
- Pre-existing chronic pain or postoperative complications.
- Repeated surgeries in the same area.
- Being young, higher BMI, and being emotionally vulnerable also increase the risk.
Clinical studies found that people with certain risk factors have a higher chance of developing chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP). CPSP is more common in people who had a pain condition before surgery. A high intensity of pain and poor pain control after surgery are common risk factors. Other factors linked with the type of surgery, duration, use of an open approach, or damage to nerves are all linked to a higher chance of developing CPSP. People with mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder are also at higher risk of CPSP. Other risk factors for CPSP are:
- Use of opioid medication before surgery
- Fear of surgery and pain
- Catastrophic thinking about pain
- Lack of social support
- Female gender
- Young age
Keep in mind that not everyone with one or more risk factors will develop chronic pain after surgery.
- What are the signs of post-surgical pain?
Ans. Post-surgical pain may feel like:
- Pain that starts immediately after surgery and gets worse over time.
- Pain that persists beyond normal healing time (typically over 3 months).
- You experience burning, aching, and shooting pain.
- Discomfort that happens at the surgery site or radiates to other areas nearby.
- A sensation that feels like nerve pain, such as tingling or numbness.
- Pain that feels intense or occurs with non-painful actions.
Keep in mind that PPSP may be caused by damage to peripheral nerves, which means the pain you feel does not necessarily come from the surgical site but from other parts of the body.
- How common is chronic pain in post-surgical pain?
Ans. According to post-surgical reports, around 10 to 15% of people experience chronic post-surgical pain, and in severe cases, 2 to 10%.
- How is chronic post-surgical pain diagnosed?
Ans. To diagnose CPSP, doctors first make you undergo a thorough clinical assessment to find the underlying cause of pain. Tissue and nerve damage are unavoidable in any surgical procedure, but CPSP occurs from a combination of different clinical types of pain, such as neuropathic, nociceptive, visceral, and referred. Nociceptive pain occurs from tissues, neuropathic pain occurs from the nerves, visceral pain is generated from internal organs, and referred pain comes from pain that is felt in another part of the body and originates somewhere else. Additionally, typical comorbidities of chronic pain also develop in sleep or mood disorders.
- What treatment options are available to treat post-surgical pain?
Ans. Treatment of post-surgical pain takes a thoughtful, steady approach. Pain management specialists use a combination of different treatments to manage your pain, including:
- Medication: Your doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatory medication based on your pain severity, along with pain medications.
- Gentle exercise and physiotherapy: Movement and gentle exercise play a major part in the recovery process after surgery. Make sure you focus on regular movement, exercise, and physiotherapy to boost your strength, increase mobility after surgery, and help manage pain.
- Massage therapy and acupuncture: Manual treatments such as massage therapy and acupuncture can decrease the intensity and severity of pain following surgery.
- Clinical Hypnosis and Relaxation: A trained pain psychologist helps patients to lower the severity of pain and cope with the emotional aspects of pain during their recovery by teaching them self-management skills for pain.
- Spinal cord stimulation (SCS): It is an advanced pain management therapy that offers continuous, long-lasting relief from chronic post-surgery pain while preventing the side effects of opioids and long recovery times of more invasive surgeries.
To minimize the risk of chronic pain, early intervention is recommended.
- Can you prevent post-surgical pain?
Ans. Yes, you can prevent post-surgical pain by taking timely action and staying properly informed about your surgery and learn different ways to lower the risk of post-surgical pain, like discussing pain management strategies. Taking charge of your pain proactively helps to explore different strategies to get lasting relief.
Post-surgical pain can occur when one or more peripheral nerves get damaged during surgery. However, many different factors also increase the risk of pain after surgery. However, taking timely action and proactively discussing various strategies with your surgeon about pain management can help you prevent post-surgical pain.
Need help with post-surgical pain? Visit our pain management clinic in Brooklyn to get professional medical help. Call us to book your appointment now!!!!! If you’re ready to take the next step in managing your pain, we recommend consulting with our healthcare provider to explore the right treatments or therapies for you. Always listen to your body and adjust your daily routine to prioritize your well-being. Visit Doral Health & Wellness Pain Relief Department in Brooklyn, to get professional help and guidance on how to manage your problem. Call us on + 1-718-367-2555 to get a consultation. If you need help learning coping methods, register your information and make direct contact with our doctors at https://yuz88hfiyh7.typeform.com/Doralintake. Log on to www.doralhw.org. Or visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212.
