Thanks to advances in medication technology, we are able to keep you very comfortable after surgery. After surgery, any temporary discomfort does not compare to the pain of arthritis endured by most people in months and years before surgery. And because hip replacement patients are not “sick,” you will not be treated as such. You will wear casual clothing after surgery, not hospital gowns.

The laser procedure requires only local anesthetic and the patients do not feel any pain when the laser is working. Several days after the operation some tightness will be felt in the thigh. Advil or Ibuprofen is all that is needed for the discomfort.

Pain after surgery is something we like to minimize. However, after any type of operation we cannot totally eliminate pain. Pain medications will be ordered for you in appropriate doses. While in the hospital if you do not feel the pain medication is adequate, please feel free to speak to the hospital nurse or the surgeon when he/she makes rounds. If you have been discharged from the hospital and experience pain please contact our office. Pain medications can be adjusted.

In the simplest case, something dangerous -- heat from the stove, the cut of a knife, electricity from an outlet, an object colliding with your toe -- damages or threatens to damage tissue in your body. Pain receptors, called nociceptors, send signals to your brain via your spinal column telling you of the danger, so you can take measures to protect yourself or prevent further injury. This type of pain, called nociceptive pain, is the most common.

Chronic pain may be continuous, or it may come and go, but its hallmark is that it lasts for months or years. Such pain is commonly associated with a chronic condition, such as migraines, arthritis, or ischemia. More than 6 million Americans experience repeated angina attacks, which means that they, too, may struggle with chronic pain. Chronic pain can lead to enormous costs physically, emotionally, and financially, for example, if pain causes you to take sick days or go on disability.

Referred pain is a type of pain that is experienced by a person in a region of their body that does not contain the source of that pain. For example, its common knowledge that a person having a heart attack will often experience pain in the left arm or shoulder. The source of the pain is actually the heart muscle, but the pain is "referred" or projected to the left arm or shoulder. In general, about 3/4 of all trigger points produce referred pain that is felt in an adjacent region of the body.

Chiropractors successfully treat subluxation (a complex of functional and/or structural changes in joints, which can interfere with nerve transmission, disturb other organ systems and undermine general health). Spinal subluxations may have symptoms localized in some part of the back or may radiate down to the buttocks, thighs and legs. Chiropractors also treat tension that can show up as backaches and/or headaches or pains elsewhere in the body.

You, your doctor and the anesthesiologist will make this decision. There are several factors to be considered, and these will be discussed in your pre-admission visit. Controlling your pain is often a combination of pills to address "breakthrough pain" along with the use of PCA for the first day or two. PCA is a device that provides pain relief via your IV line when you, the patient, activate it.

Pain can be described as acute or chronic. Acute pain is usually related to an easily identified event or condition. For example, a child falling off his bike and breaking a leg will experience acute pain. Acute pain usually resolves within a period of days to weeks. In contrast, chronic pain may be present all the time. It is usually easy to tell if someone is in acute pain. They may be sweaty and be breathing quickly. Their pulse is often fast.