Pain Control

What Is Pain?

Pain is an uncomfortable feeling that tells you something may be wrong in your body. Pain is your body's way of sending a warning to your brain. Pain can be an important indicator of problems, but controlling pain can be just as important.

Pain control can help you:

  • Enjoy greater comfort while you heal.
  • Get well faster.
    With less pain, you can start walking, do breathing exercises, and get your strength back more quickly. You may even leave the hospital sooner.
  • Avoid problems.
    People whose pain is well controlled seem to do better after surgery. They may avoid some problems, such as pneumonia and blood clots.
  • Improve quality of life.

Both drug and non-drug treatments can help prevent and control pain. You and your doctors and nurses will decide which ones are right for you. Many people combine two or more methods to get greater relief.

Drug treatments

Pain medicine can be in the form of a pill, shot, suppository or through a small tube in your vein (IV) or a small tube in your back (called an epidural).

Non-drug treatments

You can help control your pain. It is helpful to know what your treatment plan will be while you are in the hospital. By doing deep breathing and relaxing exercises you can feel more in control. Your nurse can suggest other alternatives to help control your pain. Patients with chronic pain may find help at our Pain Clinic. Ask your physician about this possibility.

What can you do to help keep your pain under control?

These six steps can help you help yourself:

  1. Ask the doctor or nurse what to expect.
    Being prepared helps put you in control. You may want to write down your questions before you meet with your doctor or nurse.
  2. Discuss pain control options with your doctors and nurses.
    You may want to work with your doctors and nurses to make a pain control plan.
  3. Talk about the schedule for pain medicines in the hospital.
    Pain pills or shots can be given at set times. Instead of waiting until the pain is severe, you receive medicine at set times during the day to keep the pain under control. Discuss this with your doctor or nurse so you know if you need to ask for the pain medicine or if it will be brought at set times. Patient controlled analgesia (PCA) may be an option. With PCA, you control when you get pain medicine. When you begin to feel pain, you press a button to inject the medicine through the IV tube in your vein.
  4. Ask for pain relief drugs when pain first begins.
    This is a key step in proper pain control. Waiting too long makes pain harder to control.
  5. Help the doctors and nurses "measure" your pain.
    They may ask you to rate your pain. On a scale of 0 to 10, a score of "0" would mean no pain. A score of "10" would mean the worst pain ever. Reporting your pain as a number helps the doctors and nurses know how well your treatment is working. Pain Rating Charts are located in each room treatment area and are for use by adults and children, as well as those with cognitive impairments. Special charts are available for infants. You also will be asked to give a "number" that is tolerable for you. They can then decide whether to make any changes in how your pain is being treated.
  6. Tell the doctor or nurse about any pain that won't go away, so you can achieve a comfort level that is right for you.
    Your nurses and doctors want to make your hospital stay as pain free as they can. The amount or type of pain you feel may not be the same as others feel even those who have the same problem. YOU are the key to getting the best pain relief because pain is personal. Your doctors and nurses need you to tell them if your pain is not being controlled.


Adapted from: Acute Pain Management Guideline Panel. Pain Control After Surgery: A Patient's Guide. AHCPR Pub. No. 92-0021. Rockville, MD: Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Public Health Service, U.S. Department of HHS. February 1992.