Did you know we treat post-operative pain?  I have seen many people come into my clinic suffering with pain due to a surgery that never healed properly.  Pain can linger from a few days to many months after surgery.  I have seen complications with everything from bunion, carpal tunnel, spinal fusion, laminectomy, broken bones, cancer removal, ACL, and etc.  You name it, they all can leave a lingering pain and it is sometimes worse than the pain that the surgery was supposed to fix!

Why is there lingering pain?  There are many reasons.  Oftentimes, there is nerve damage or compression, excessive scar tissue, or persistent inflammation.  We can help with all these scenarios.  Acupuncture is renowned for alleviating pain when due to these situations.

Nerves will be damaged with surgery.  Period.  The severity depends on the size of the nerve damaged and how it was damaged.  If there were a few peripheral nerves damaged in the skin only, chances are there won’t be pain afterwards.  If a large nerve bundle or trunk is nicked or severed, it could cause lasting pain.  Sometimes there is some swelling from surrounding tissue or installed hardware that is pushing or compressing a nerve.  Acupuncture will as much as possible normalize these conditions.  Every case is different and a consultation is in order to see if acupuncture will work for resolving a pain syndrome.

Scar tissue is a big factor with pain.  This is especially true with scars left behind by trauma or surgical procedures that require large incisions into the body.  Scar tissue has the tendency to bind and lock up all the other tissues it comes into contact: skin, muscle, vessels, and even bone.  Though these things are normally fixed in place there is some amount of movement and seperation between them that allows for normal blood and lymph flow.  Scar tissue can impede the flow of blood and lymph that can lead to pain and dysfunction.  Acupuncture and moxibustion can help to soften, reduce, and break up scar tissue blockages and relieve pain.

Long after surgery, inflammation can linger.  This can be due to infection, installed hardware, swelling, improper post-operative care, etc.  The inflammation is just a flag telling us that something is wrong and often goes along with the above-mentioned scenarios.  Once the problem is identified and corrected (if possible) then the inflammation will reside.

The three outlined conditions above can occur simultaneously. No two situations are the same and each needs proper assessment.  I recommend setting up an appointment for our free consultation to see how we can help with getting you out of your post-operative pain.  We will discuss your health history and options for treatment and likely outcomes based on our experience.  Give us a call today at (520) 722-9101.