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Pain Management & Your Surgery
At St.Vincent Hospital, effective pain management for all patients is a high priority. Patients who have well-controlled pain have improved recovery from surgery and feel better during the recovery process.
You will have two anesthesiologists assigned to your care. One will provide care in the operating room, and one will be dedicated exclusively to meeting your pain management needs. You will meet with the pain management anesthesiologist before you go into surgery. Your medical history will be reviewed, pain management options will be discussed, and a pain management plan, tailored to your needs, will be prescribed. Questions you may have about pain management can be discussed at this time.
The majority of joint replacement patients will have a long-acting narcotic injected into the intrathecal space in their spine before going to surgery. This will provide pain relief for 12 to 24 hours following surgery.
Pain Management after Surgery
Regardless of which type of pain management is used for your surgery, all joint replacement patients will also receive around-the-clock, scheduled doses of narcotics and anti-inflammatory drugs during the post-operative recovery phase. If this does not provide adequate pain relief, additional medications are available as needed.
Pain Management Expectations
It is important to be realistic when dealing with pain. Pain and discomfort have many causes. Illnesses, injuries and surgical procedures are all sources of pain for most people. The amount of pain a person feels varies from one person to another. No two people are exactly alike.
Think along the lines of "under control" pain as opposed to "no pain."
Please tell your nurse or surgeon if you believe your pain is not under control and hampers your ability to participate in your care and rehabilitation.
Pain Assessment
Assessing and evaluating are the keys to treating pain. Your nurse is your advocate and will work with you and your doctors to provide you with the best pain control possible.
Please tell the nurse if you are having pain. Do not wait until the pain is unbearable. The worse the pain, the harder it is to get under control!
Your nurse will ask you to rate your pain on a scale from zero to 10 (zero being no pain; 10 being the worst pain you can imagine). This scale is used both before and after pain medication has been given.
Activities to Help Ease Pain
Activities like listening to relaxation tapes, watching TV or reading may help ease your pain. You may also try repositioning yourself, getting up to sit in the chair or a back or neck massage. Different things work for different people--don't be afraid to experiment and find what works for you!
Trapeze
Our beds are equipped with an overhead frame and trapeze, which helps you and the staff lift your body for repositioning. The bed controls are located on either side of the bed or on the siderails. For your safety, one or more of the siderails will be raised. |
