Pain management in knee surgery

Thus Jefferson says, "The art of life is the art of avoiding pain." How can we possibly avoid pain either physical or psychological throughout our life span? Perhaps it is more realistic to do our best to minimize pain or manage it effectively. Managing pain throughout the preoperative and postoperative periods is achievable, but we are not always doing an adequate job. The focus of this article is to provide an opportunity to look at using appropriate medications, treatment approaches, and timing for the orthopaedic patient. The concepts of preemptive analgesia and around-the-clock (ATC) dosing are discussed.