Pain and Inflammation
Pain or discomfort should be expected after your orthopedic surgery. Perceived pain after surgery is normal in most cases and should not be misinterpreted as unexpected damage. Pain can also be experienced during rehabilitation. It is often part of the healing process as you bring moving ligaments, tendons, and scar tissue during mobility exercises.
Pain often triggers a sense of hopelessness or fear, which can slow down the healing process and negatively affect mental health. The goal is to safely alleviate your pain, and in doing so, make your normal activities tolerable as quickly as possible. Adequate comfort is key to recovery, allowing you to move about in your daily activities and effectively carry through your therapeutic exercises.
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Everyone is given a ‘nerve block’ during surgery. Depending on the type of surgery and your surgeon, nerve blocks may last up to 24 hours or for only the duration of the operation. This medication blocks pain signals to the brain in one particular part of the body. Your anesthesiologist should inform you before surgery of the extent of your nerve block.
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Some people are sent home from surgery with a device called an interscaling pump for the first 48-72 hours after surgery. This pump intervaneously connects and uses a computerized syringe to administer numbing medication known by its brand name ‘Marcaine’. It will automatically deliver your doses.
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1000 mg of Acetaminophen TID (three times a day) as needed for 7 days. Treat any pain less than 5 on the pain scale with this medication.
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Oxycodone as needed every 4-6 hours (stagger the acetaminophen prescription in between doses). Treat any pain between 5-10 on the pain scale with this prescription. Depending on the case, you will be prescribed about 1-2 weeks worth of tablets. Oxycodone is an opioid. Opioids are known to slow down your bowels.
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A daily magnesium supplement will likely be prescribed. This is to help with muscle spasm and constipation that may accompany opioid use.
Medication: what to expect
Though this may seem counterintuitive, people usually do not experience their worst pain the first day following surgery but rather on day two and three.
Use the following pain rating scales to help determine your course of pain medication. Zero means “no pain” and ten means the “worst possible pain.”
Shoulder patients:
Many times, post operative pain is simply ‘positional’—meaning your arm is not sitting in a relaxed state in your sling. For example, your sling is put on during recovery when you are still sleeping, so it may not be fitted perfectly. As a rule of thumb, your hand should be higher than your elbow to comfort or at the least even with your elbow. This right angle ensures that your shoulder isn’t trying to compensate any arm-awkwardness by tensing up. Also make sure that your sling is fit all the way to your mid-hand to prevent unintended pain or injury from a dangling wrist.
You may unbuckle your sling if you are sitting upright in a position that supports your arm, elbow, and wrist comfortably and safely as your sling would. However, you must be awake and alert and free of hazards such as dogs or running children.
Non-Pharmacologic Pain Control
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Ice
Icing 20 minutes several times a day the first week after surgery can be very helpful. Find out why and learn more about ice options.
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Leg elevation
Learn how to properly elevate and why it can be advantageous to healing after knee surgery.
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Relaxation Therapy
Relaxation therapy is a mind-body technique that provides many people pain and anxiety relief. Learn more about guided imagery and breath work and how they can relieve pain.
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Massage
Many studies have found light massaging to be an effective method for reducing pain. Ask a loved one to rub your feet (and your hands and shoulders too if you’re lucky) for 10 minutes. Talk to your physical therapist about whether massaging would be acceptable or beneficial around your injury.
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Compression
Compression sleeves prevent swelling after knee surgery. The sleeve can feel like “a hug on your leg,” and it often makes the knee brace more comfortable. You will likely be sent home with some after surgery. You can wear them as little or as much as you’d like, but they are recommended when you’re upright on your feet and walking around. Listen to your body on what is most comfortable.
Sleeves should be pulled 6-8 inches above your knee. Be sure to take periodic breaks to keep your stitches clean and prevent skin irritation. Nighttime could be a good time for this.
Check out the references used to inform this page
This website contains a compilation of information gathered. I am not a trained professional. Please consult your healthcare team before taking any advice from this site.