What are the choices for pain relief after surgery?
IV or oral pain medications Pain-relieving medications that are injected into a vein or taken by mouth will help dull your pain but may not eliminate it completely. These medications usually are prescribed by your surgeon. Local anesthesia Other pain-relieving medications may be injected into the surgical incision by your surgeon. These medications are local anesthetics. They provide numbness or loss of sensation in one specific area. Peripheral nerve blocks Single injection or nerve catheters can be used to reduce pain after surgery. Local anesthetics and other drugs are used for these procedures to reduce or “block” pain and other sensation over a wider region of the body. How is a peripheral nerve block performed? The block is administered at an appropriate location to provide pain relief (analgesia) after surgery. Before the block is performed, your skin is cleansed with an antiseptic solution. The anesthesiologist uses local anesthesia to numb the area where the peripheral nerve b
