Pain after surgery

Pain after surgery is normal. It’s a type of acute pain, which means it doesn’t last long and usually improves as you heal.

There are many things you can do to help manage your pain after you leave the hospital.

• Try taking your pain medication as prescribed by your healthcare provider, especially in the first few days following your surgery, to stay ahead of the pain. This means not waiting until the pain becomes severe to take your medication. It can take some time for the medication to take effect, making it more difficult to control your pain.
• Staying active as best as you can, and building up your physical activities steadily, can reduce pain and help healing.
• Getting enough sleep improves your ability to cope with pain. Finding a more comfortable position can reduce your pain so you can sleep better.

There are things you can do before your surgery that can help improve your recovery (including your pain levels) afterwards.

• Be as active and fit as you can be.
• Eat well, lose extra weight if you need to.
• Reduce or stop smoking.
• Reduce or stop alcohol.

In most cases after surgery, you’ll feel pain related to the area of your operation.

• The feeling of pain is different for everyone – it may be dull, stabbing, cramping, throbbing, constant or it may come and go. Read about ways of describing your pain.
• Sometimes you may feel discomfort in other areas not related to your surgery. For example, you may feel muscle pain in your neck, shoulders, back, or chest from lying on the operating table, or your throat may feel sore or scratchy from a tube put into your airway.
• Sitting up, walking, and coughing are all important activities after surgery, but they may cause increased pain at or around your operation site.

The pain you have after your surgery may cause several problems if it’s not well controlled.

• You may get constipation, stiff joints and muscles or blood clots in your legs (deep vein thrombosis) if you're keeping still for a long time.
• You may get a chest infection or pneumonia if your pain stops you from breathing deeply and coughing.
• You may develop a wound infection at the site of your surgery. Symptoms include spreading redness, increasing pain or swelling, or pus oozing from the wound, and fever. Read more about surgical wounds.
• You may have trouble sleeping and feel anxious or down if your pain isn’t well controlled.

 After your surgery, you’ll be sent home with medicine for pain relief.

• The purpose of your pain-relieving medicines is to reduce your pain to a level where you can do some of your normal activities while your body heals.
• Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will explain when and how to take your pain medicines. It’s important to follow the instructions they give you.
• At first, you may need to take your medicines regularly, such as every 4 to 6 hours.
• As your pain improves, and your activity levels increase, you can gradually reduce the dose of your pain medicine or extend the time between doses. The stronger painkillers such as morphine, oxycodone or tramadol should be stopped first, followed by the milder painkillers such as NSAIDs (ibuprofen, celecoxib or diclofenac) and paracetamol. Read more about pain relief medicines.
• If your pain continues and you require more pain-relieving medicines, contact your healthcare provider.
• If you're struggling with high levels of pain, even with pain medicines, contact your healthcare provider for review or advice. The hospital should have sent a letter to your healthcare provider describing the operation you had and the medicines you’ve been advised to take.  

Depending on the type of surgery you've had, your activity levels will vary. But, as far as possible it's important to keep active, as best as you can. You will be given

Your activity levels after surgery will vary depending on the type of surgery you've had, but, it's important to keep active, as best as you can. You’ll be given advice about any activities you should avoid and those that you need to take extra care with.

Start exercising slowly, using gentle movements and build up gradually. Avoid lying or sitting still or sleeping for long periods of time – this can be harmful as it increases your chances of developing blood clots or deep vein thrombosis (DVT). You can set a timer to remind you to move more regularly.

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Healing and recovery after surgery takes time and energy so it’s important to be kind to yourself after your operation. Focus on what you can, not what you can’t do.

• Make sure you have a pain management plan from your doctor before you leave the hospital. This should list details about your pain medicines and when and how you should reduce and stop them.
• Talk to your doctor about using cold or heat on your painful area. Cold packs are good in the first few days after your operation to help reduce pain and swelling. Heat pads help with pain, spasms and blood flow.
• Get enough rest. Talk to your healthcare provider if you’re having trouble sleeping.
• Find comfortable positions to rest in and change positions regularly.
• Pace your activity – stop before you get overtired and have rest breaks.
• Do activities that you find enjoyable. Distract yourself with things like puzzles, watching TV, music, prayer, hobbies, gentle walks.
• Practice relaxation and good breathing techniques.
• Talk to whānau or friends for support.

Apps reviewed by Healthify

You may find it useful to look at some meditation/mindfulness apps and breathing apps.