Pain After Surgery offers an in-depth, comprehensive overview of basic and clinical research in the field. It presents the knowledge and expertise of top global researchers regarding changes in central nervous system function accompanying and following surgery, as a model of chronic pain development. It also translates scientific understanding into a basis for effective clinical management of acute and persistent pain after surgery.
 
Of interest to pain scientists and clinicians involved in perioperative care and the management of chronic pain, this title offers a timely understanding of the extensive range of available research tools and methods, as well as integrated approaches to deal with the inherent complexity of pain after surgery. In addition, it covers topics vital to today’s clinical pain management: implementing translational research methodologies while understanding their limitations; employing a comprehensive “menu” of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies to minimize acute postoperative pain; optimizing this “menu” to best meet the needs of younger or older individuals; predicting which patients are most vulnerable to developing chronic postoperative pain; and defining and capturing practical data to develop evidence that supports paradigm shifts in clinical pain practice.