What is Pain?
Pain is any type of hurt you feel. It can be from a cold, surgery, or other sickness. At CHOC, we want to help your child’s pain. This pain can look different for each child.
How We Can Help Pain
There are many ways to help with pain. Some kids like their parents to hold them and comfort them. Some kids need a distraction like a book or a movie. Other kids may need medicine.
Medicines for pain can be called analgesics. Your doctor and team can talk with you about which medicine might work best for your child.
What is Regional Anesthesia?
Regional anesthesia blocks the pain to a part of the body. The medicine numbs the nerves to block the pain from being felt. Sometimes the skin can be numb too. The anesthesiologist will place a thin tube in the part of the body where they don’t want the child to feel pain.
- There are two types of blocks:
- Peripheral nerve blocks – medicine is given near one nerve or a group of nerves. It blocks pain in the part of the body where the nerve is. The most common area for these blocks are the hands, arms, legs, or feet.
- Epidural anesthesia – medicine is given near the spinal cord and nerves. It blocks pain from an entire area of the body like the back or chest.
- Patients who have either a peripheral nerve block or an epidural can have less pain. They may also not need as much pain medicine.
What is an Anesthesiologist?
The anesthesiologist is the pain medicine doctor during a surgery. The anesthesiologist can give your child regional anesthesia. You will meet your anesthesiologist when you come to the hospital for your surgery. The anesthesiologist will talk to you about which medicine will work best for your child after they meet you. If you have any questions before the surgery, contact your doctor.
