Dr. Matava describes how a patient's pain is managed after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery.
Dr. Matava:
All patients are given narcotic pain medications after the surgery. A lot of surgeons like to use a nerve block, either pre-operatively or post-operatively, where the leg is made numb for anywhere from 12 to 24 hours in order to get over that initial hump of pain, but then the use of narcotic pain pills dwindles such that most people do not require any more medications over the first two to three weeks.
About Dr. Matava, M.D.:
Visit Dr. Matava at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis