Pain Management

You’ve just gone through surgery, and pain may be a big concern for you. During surgery, you’ll likely have received a pain medication wash on the surgical site so that there’d less pain when you wake up. However, this medication’s effect will wear off, and you’ll start to experience pain. You’ll be asked frequently to rate your pain on a scale of zero to ten.

Zero is no pain at all, while ten is the worst pain you can imagine.

Don’t wait until your pain is a ten before asking for assistance. It’s much more difficult to manage your pain once it’s that high, so let your care team know as soon as your pain levels reach around four or five.

It’s also important to take your pain medication before any therapy appointments. It’s much easier to manage your pain before it starts than to reduce it after it becomes unbearable. Your care team will work with you to make sure your pain is kept at a level that is acceptable to you.