Suggest Treatment For Chronic Pain In The Shoulder Post Liposuction Surgery

Posted on Thu, 3 Nov 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 3 Nov 2016 Answered on

Mon, 21 Nov 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I have chronic nerve damage in my left shoulder and have been taking Vicodin ES for it for many years. Now my doctor wants me to find a pain management doctor to write this rx. I have tried two who simply wanted to inject cortisone in the ac joint. I have had this done several times over the past 10 years and it causes the pain to be worse for about 3 days and then I'm back to the same pain.
Now I'm having a breast reduction and some liposuction done, that I've wanted most of my life. The plastic surgeon says he's going to give me femoral in the hospital, but tramadol to take home for recovery. I'm scared that this is not going to help me and I only have enough Vicodin left until Sunday

Answered by Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Consulting a pain specialist will help.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
The post op pain after liposuction can be controlled well with Tramadol. But the nerve related pain needs a stronger prescription medicine like Morphine or Vicodine or Gabapentin according to the severity of the problem.
The plastic surgeon cannot assess the severity of pain due to neural causes. The dosage titration and dosage regulation that is needed can be best controlled by a pain specialist. It is best to consult a pain specialist or a neurologist for a proper management.
I hope this answers your query.
In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.
For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Praveen-Tayal

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar