About

Experiencing pain after surgery is normal and is often due to inflammation in the part of the body where surgery occurred. ​This type of pain is called acute post-surgical pain and is short-term, generally less than three months.​ However, 5-10% of patients who undergo major surgery develop chronic post-surgical pain, which is pain that persists past the normal healing process (generally longer than three months).   

Symptoms

Pain following surgery lasting beyond the expected healing time, localized at the surgery site. 

Risks

You have greater risk in developing chronic post-surgical pain if you are struggling with pain management or have an:    

• History of depression and/or anxiety​
• History of substance dependency or addiction​
• History of chronic pain​
• History of use of opioid medication​ 

Road to Recovery

To prevent long-term, excessive opioid use or the development of chronic pain and related disability following surgery, programs offering multidisciplinary services are available in some regions. Pioneered at the Toronto General Hospital's Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management (Pain Clinic | Transitional Pain Service | Toronto), these programs offer what we call “Transitional Pain Care” where support is provided to high-risk patients before and after surgery.  Talk to your local healthcare provider if these programs may be available in your region. 

NLHS Transitional Pain Program

At the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Sciences (NLHS), the Transitional Pain Program (TPP) focuses on treating patients undergoing Total Knee and Total Hip Arthroplasty that are at risk of transitioning from acute to chronic pain following surgery.  The Program is designed to offer additional pain management beyond the services provided by the Total Joint Arthroplasty Clinic at NLHS. The goal of this innovative program is to provide patients with additional resources to avoid ongoing pain and achieve the best outcome possible from their surgery. The NLHS Transitional Pain Program also helps patients who take high dose opioids and need help with medication management and opioid weaning. The Program uses a multidisciplinary treatment approach that addresses the medical, psychological, and physical components of pain management.

If you are part of the NLHS Transitional Pain Program, we invite you to consult the following resources to learn more about the Program and additional resources to help you optimize your success to recovery.