Post-Surgical & Complex Pain

What it means

Some people keep having pain after an operation or a serious injury. This complex pain often needs a combination of treatments. Here we collect our coverage of long-lasting and hard-to-treat pain.

Symptoms and warning signs

• Pain that continues for months after an operation or injury, beyond the expected healing time
• Back and leg pain that persists or returns after spine surgery (sometimes called failed back surgery syndrome)
• Burning or shooting pain around a scar, or pain in a limb that has been amputated (phantom limb pain)
• Pain that spreads, changes character, or is accompanied by sensitivity to light touch
• Urgent warning signs after surgery: fever, redness, swelling or discharge at the wound, calf pain or swelling, or pain that suddenly becomes much worse

Causes and risk factors

• Nerves irritated or damaged during surgery or by scar tissue
• Ongoing joint, disc or nerve problems that the operation did not fully address, or new problems at adjacent levels of the spine
• Changes in how the nervous system processes pain after prolonged acute pain (sensitisation)
• Complex regional pain syndrome after an injury or operation to a limb
• Risk factors reported in research include severe pain before and in the days after surgery, pre-existing chronic pain, anxiety or depression, and certain types of surgery; large studies are under way to understand why acute pain becomes chronic in some people

Conditions in this group

As listed by SEVA Healthcare on its post-surgical & complex pain page.

• Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS)
• Post-surgical nerve pain
• Chronic regional pain
• Phantom limb pain
• Persistent scar pain
• Neuropathic pain after trauma

How clinicians evaluate it

Specialists review the original surgery or injury, previous treatments and imaging, and look for nerve, joint or muscle causes. Treatment plans for complex pain usually combine several approaches.

Treatments SEVA Healthcare lists

Copied from the official page. Listing a treatment does not mean it suits every patient or is available at every clinic — a doctor decides after an evaluation.

• Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)
• Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS)
• Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
• Intrathecal Pump Therapy
• Regenerative Treatments (PRP and Stem Cell Therapy)

How SEVA Healthcare treats post-surgical & complex pain

Everyday self-management

General education, not a plan for you. Check with your clinician before changing activity or medicines.

• Follow the rehabilitation plan after surgery and keep moving within the limits your team sets; prolonged inactivity tends to prolong pain
• Keep a simple record of pain, sleep and activity to show your team what is improving and what is not
• Ask early about a plan if pain is not following the expected course — persistent pain is easier to manage when addressed sooner
• Pacing, sleep routines and stress management support recovery alongside medical treatment
• Do not stop or change prescribed medicines on your own; discuss any change with the prescriber

Questions to discuss with a clinician

• Is my pain following a normal recovery course, or is it persisting longer than expected?
• What is the most likely source of the pain now, and what tests would help?
• Which options are suitable for me — physical therapy, medicines, nerve procedures, stimulation — and in what order?
• If spinal cord or nerve stimulation is suggested, how does the trial period work?
• How do we measure whether treatment is helping — pain, sleep, walking, work?