Postoperative Pain

Abstract Postoperative pain, if not treated sufficiently, may progress to a pathological chronic pain syndrome, leading to significant disability and suffering. Preemptive and early treatment has been shown to decrease the incidence of chronic pain down the road. Various medication classes, including opioids, serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRIs), tricyclic antidepressant, local anesthetics, α2-agonists, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists, and agonists-antagonists, are at the perioperative consultant’s disposal when treating pain. While most medications in the immediate postoperative period will be given intravenously, other routes of administration, such as oral, epidural, intrathecal, subcutaneous, transcutaneous, transmucosal, intramuscular, and interpleural, may be appropriate under certain circumstances. Adjunctive techniques and therapies, including transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), cryotherapy, acupuncture, and hypnosis, may also be used in order to relieve pain and minimize opioid dosing and side effects.