Pain Relief After Surgery

No matter whether surgery is a minor outpatient procedure or a major operation requiring days in the hospital, patients and family members want to know what to expect in terms of pain afterward. Most of us will experience some pain or discomfort after a procedure, but it should never be unbearable.

These short videos will help explain different methods and techniques for managing postoperative pain. At UCLA, your anesthesiology team manages pain relief during the procedure and in the immediate period afterward while the patient is in one of our Post-Anesthesia Care Units. If an epidural or a continuous nerve block is part of the pain management plan for a patient who is in the hospital, our Acute Pain Service will see the patient every day and adjust pain medication as necessary.  

Our goal is for every patient to be comfortable enough to take deep breaths and move as needed, because this helps the recovery process. We also want to use different kinds of pain relief strategies, also called "multimodal" pain relief, to reduce the need for opioid medications. Your comfort and safety are our chief concerns.