Pain Consultants ensure that patients have an effective pain management plan in place well ahead of time, prior to surgery
Did You Know?
“There are many types of pain medicines. Depending on the surgery & your overall health, you may receive a single medicine, or a combination of medicines. Studies show that people who use pain medicine after surgery to control pain, often use fewer pain medicines than those who try to avoid pain medicine”
Adult Post-Surgical Pain Treatment
It is very important to understand that in order for your Pain Doctor to continually fine tune your Personalised Treatment Plan, you must be very clear and precise about any pain you are experiencing; as well as whether the medication that you are being given, is effectively controlling your pain. The best way to achieve this, is to compile a daily ‘Pain Dairy.’ This should be divided into separate days, with 24 hourly slots, in which you can write notes. For example:
Monday January 1st
8 am: I woke up feeling a lot of pain in my lower back, and simultaneously had a headache.
9am: After taking my prescribed morning medication, my headache completely dissipated, and my back pain was less pronounced.
Different Types of Pain Control
• Post-surgery IV Pain Medication administered by the Pain Doctor
• Patient Controlled Anaesthesia (which enables patients to give themselves more relief from pain, as and when needed). Note: it is regulated so that patients cannot over- medicate
• Epidural Pain Control (delivered via a catheter). The Pain Specialist inserts a soft tube into the patient’s back (in a small region outside the spinal cord)
• Pain Pills or Shots – narcotic (opioid) pain medication given as a shot (or provided via pills), may deliver sufficient pain relief
References
Benzon HA, Shah RD, Benzon HT. Perioperative nonopioid infusions for postoperative pain management. In: Benzon HT, Raja SN, Liu SS, Fishman SM, Cohen SP, eds. Essentials of Pain Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 12.
Chou et al. Management of postoperative pain: a clinical practice guideline from the American Pain Society, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Committee on Regional Anesthesia, Executive Committee, and Administrative Council.J Pain. 2016;17(2):131-157. PMID: 26827847
pubme.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26827847/.
Gabriel et al. State of the art opioid-sparing strategies for post-operative pain in adult surgical patients. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2019;20(8):949-961. PMID: 30810425
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30810425/.
Hernandez A, Sherwood ER. Anesthesiology principles, pain management, and conscious sedation. In: Townsend CM Jr, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds.Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 21st ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2022:chap 14.
