After an operation, the wound hurts – a normal reaction of the body to the procedure. How much depends on the operation and varies from person to person. Larger procedures on the abdomen, chest or bones and joints are among the more painful ones. Unlike chronic pain, this pain has a clear cause and eases as the wound heals.
Relieving it is about more than comfort. Anyone who breathes shallowly, hardly coughs and stays in bed for a long time because of pain has a higher risk of pneumonia or thrombosis. Severe pain that is not adequately treated can delay recovery and in some cases become chronic.
Treatment therefore relies on several building blocks. Painkillers with different modes of action are combined and given on a fixed schedule. If that is not enough, a pain pump is added that patients operate themselves: patient-controlled analgesia, or PCA for short. After major procedures, a thin catheter close to the spinal cord or at a nerve in the arm or leg can dampen pain transmission for days. Cooling, good positioning and early movement complement the medication.
Pain is measured on a simple scale from 0 for no pain to 10 for the worst pain imaginable. The aim is not necessarily zero, but a score at which breathing, coughing, getting up and sleeping are comfortably possible. What counts is how the patient feels – which is why nurses and doctors ask regularly.