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Surgery Pain: Which Procedures Hurt the Most?
15 Mar
Summary
- Recovery pain can exceed surgical pain due to physiotherapy.
- Bone marrow biopsy and lumbar puncture cause significant discomfort.
- Hysteroscopy is deemed unbearable by a third of women.
Surgical procedures, even those under general anesthesia, can lead to significant post-operative discomfort, with recovery and extensive physiotherapy often being more painful than the initial surgery. Dr. Dean Eggitt notes that procedures disrupting bones and nerves, such as spinal fusion, open chest surgery, and total knee replacement, are particularly painful.
The bone marrow biopsy, used for stem cell donation or cancer testing, can cause aching in the bone for days, while a lumbar puncture, performed while the patient is awake, often results in pressure, discomfort, and potential headaches post-procedure.
Open-heart surgery involves a painful recovery period due to the chest incision, with healing taking around 12 weeks. Total knee replacement, while common, is also considered highly painful due to its invasive nature and the rehabilitation required.
Further, a hysteroscopy, an examination of the uterus, is reported as unbearably painful by one-third of women. Management strategies for these painful procedures often involve regular painkillers, pre-planning for recovery, and, where possible, anesthesia options.
