FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING: Pain Control After Surgery Proper management of pain after surgery is essential to reduce complications, aid in speed of recovery and decrease length of hospitalization. There are a wide variety of methods available to control pain after surgery and their use depends on the nature and severity of the pain. Your surgeon and anesthesiologist will discuss options for pain control with you: PCA: Patient Controlled Analgesia is a method of postoperative pain control in which the patient can operate a computer controlled pump that delivers precise amounts of pain medication directly into your IV line. The pump can deliver medication intermittently in response to a patient's need. A physician will prescribe the appropriate settings and your nurse will program the pump with the dose of medication, the minimum time interval between doses, and the maximum doses allowed. Epidural Analgesia: For many years, epidurals have been used for pain relief during childbirth. Now, epidurals are used in a number of postoperative settings including lower extremity orthopedic operation, major operations on the chest and abdomen, and certain urological procedures. we can use an epidural for pain control after your surgery by attaching the epidural catheter to a small, computerized pump. Epidural analgesia provides excellent pain relief. This method of pain control usually causes less sleepiness, nausea and confusion than medicine given through your IV or as a shot. Patients who have postoperative epidurals may have shorter hospital stays and fewer problems after surgery. The epidural is usually placed immediately prior to an operation under mild sedation, and is used in combination with a General Anesthetic during the operation. Regional Nerve Blocks: Nerve blocks Are frequently used for procedure involving the shoulder and for Total Knee Replacement surgery. The block is usually performed prior to the operation under mild sedation, and is used in combination with a General Anesthetic during the operation. A nerve block may be used in combination with other pain control techniques and usually provides 12-24 hours of pain relief after an operation.