Treatment Options
Know your treatment options
Adequate pain management is essential to your recovery after surgery. Learn more about your options below and talk with your doctor about which pain management solution is right for you.
Opioids
Traditionally, the way of relieving pain after surgery has been with opioids such as a morphine injection or pain pills. These drugs affect your entire body instead of targeting the actual site of your surgery and may cause unpleasant side effects. Opioids may actually prevent you from getting back to normal faster.
The most common way to treat pain after surgery is with narcotics, such as morphine or codeine. These drugs can cause side effects, such as breathing difficulty, constipation, nausea and vomiting. They can also make you sleepy or groggy.
Potential Side Effects of Opioids:
- Higher risk for intense pain spikes
- Nausea or vomiting
- Constipation
- Groggy, knocked-out, ‘hangover’ feeling
- Possible breathing problems
- Potentially slower recovery
- Potential for addiction
Elastomeric and Electronic Pain Pumps
Pain pumps are a proven technology to manage pain for up to five days after surgery. There are two types of pumps that can be used for pain relief:
Elastomeric Pain Pumps
Elastomeric pumps, such as the ON-Q* Pain Relief System, are a disposable pump that automatically and continuously delivers a customizable flow of local anesthetic to a patient’s surgical site. As the medication is delivered, the pump ball will gradually become smaller. This pump may be clipped to your clothing or placed in a small carrying case.
Electronic Pain Pumps
Electronic pumps, such as the ambIT* Electronic Pain Control System, is a small, lightweight, ambulatory pump designed to allow patient mobility while infusing fluids or medication. Your healthcare provider has the power to tailor medication doses to meet your needs by combining regularly occurring intermittent doses and manual bolus options. This pump and medication bag are portable and may be placed in a small carry case.
Single Shot Local Injections
Local injections are medications that are placed into the surgical area during a procedure through an injection. These medications can use a formulated bupivacaine (a type of local anesthetic) that is designed to release into the body over a period of time.
