Surgery, by its very nature, causes acute pain. If it is not well-controlled, acute pain can affect patient recovery and lead to chronic pain. As specialists who often perform elective procedures, plastic surgeons have to be particularly attuned to patient experience, of which post-operative pain can be a significant factor. Conventional pain control methods rely on opioid pain medications. These medications are plagued by side effects and contribute to opioid misuse, addiction and abuse. Novel pain control regimens utilizing non-opioid alternatives are paramount to stemming the use of opioids while providing adequate post-operative pain control. Choices for pain control in patients undergoing plastic surgery include, but are not limited to, local analgesia, regional blocks, non-pharmacologic options, pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) devices, enhanced recovery protocols, tumescent techniques and cognitive behavioral therapies. Multimodal approaches taking advantage of these non-opioid analgesic options are available and evidence-based.

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