When pain after surgery becomes chronic

Authors: Paige Druce, with special thanks to community representative Chris Ewert for contributing to this article.

Pain after surgery is expected. Pain that lasts for days, or even weeks is normal, and usually nothing to be concerned about. But for some patients, pain can persist for months or even years and develop into chronic pain.

It can be hard to know when pain after surgery becomes chronic pain because the symptoms can range from mild to severe. However, the pain can be distressing and debilitating for the people it affects, including stabbing and tingling feelings, numbness, altered sensations and problems with sensitivity.

Chronic pain after surgery may depend on the operation undergone and is often difficult to treat, meaning there are no proven strategies for prevention. So, it’s one of the most important research priorities in Perioperative Medicine – the area of medical care that covers the time from surgery being considered, through the operative period, to the patient’s full recovery. 

As Australia and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Clinical Trials Network (ANZCA CTN) Researcher Professor Tomás Corcoran has said: “Preventing the occurrence of chronic pain after surgery is considered the ‘holy grail’ because treating such pain, once established, can be very difficult to achieve.”

The ANZCA CTN - based at the Monash Central Clinical School (CCS) - is the world’s leading clinical trials network in anaesthesia, pain and perioperative medicine. Researchers from the ANZCA CTN are conducting research into strategies to prevent the development of chronic pain after surgery.

The researchers are working with the CCS Community and Researcher Engagement (CaRE) program to invite people with lived experience of chronic pain after surgery to become involved in the project. 

Community member involvement will inform future clinical trials, leading to the ultimate aim of avoiding chronic pain following surgery for future patients. If researchers can figure out how to prevent people from developing chronic pain after surgery, many people can avoid suffering from this long-term, debilitating condition. 

If you have experienced chronic pain after surgery (or have cared for someone who has experienced chronic pain after surgery) and you’re willing to get involved, please express your interest via the CaRE program here.  

Find out more from the ANZCA CTN website.