Multimodal postoperative pain management
Seance of wednesday 01 april 2026 (La douleur post-opératoire, Neuromodulation)
DOI number : 10.26299/t5ym-am46/emem.2026.14.01
Abstract
Chronic pain represents a major public health issue, altering patient’s quality of life, functional abilities, and autonomy. Its complex pathophysiology, involving biological, psychological, and social mechanisms, justifies the use of an integrative therapeutic approach.
In this context, multimodal analgesia has emerged as a reference strategy aimed at optimizing pain control while limiting the use of opioids and their adverse effects. It is based on the combination of different therapeutic modalities targeting multiple pathophysiological mechanisms of pain : pharmacological treatments (analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, antidepressants, or anticonvulsants), non-pharmacological interventions (functional rehabilitation, adapted physical activity, cognitive-behavioral therapies), and, when necessary, interventional techniques.
Understanding pain trajectories is now a key element in pain management, particularly in the perioperative context. Pain can follow different trajectories, ranging from rapid resolution to persistence, potentially evolving into chronic pain. Early identification of at-risk patientss allows for adaptation of strategies and the initiation of targeted and personalized interventions.
From this perspective, transitional postoperative painmanagement aims, within a multidisciplinary approach, to prevent the chronification of pain, control pain intensity, and improve patient’s autonomy and functional capacities.
Thus, multimodal and individualized management, based on interdisciplinary coordination, now represents a central therapeutic model in preventing the transition to chronic pain, integrating the biomedical, psychological, and social dimensions of the pain experience.
In this context, multimodal analgesia has emerged as a reference strategy aimed at optimizing pain control while limiting the use of opioids and their adverse effects. It is based on the combination of different therapeutic modalities targeting multiple pathophysiological mechanisms of pain : pharmacological treatments (analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, antidepressants, or anticonvulsants), non-pharmacological interventions (functional rehabilitation, adapted physical activity, cognitive-behavioral therapies), and, when necessary, interventional techniques.
Understanding pain trajectories is now a key element in pain management, particularly in the perioperative context. Pain can follow different trajectories, ranging from rapid resolution to persistence, potentially evolving into chronic pain. Early identification of at-risk patientss allows for adaptation of strategies and the initiation of targeted and personalized interventions.
From this perspective, transitional postoperative painmanagement aims, within a multidisciplinary approach, to prevent the chronification of pain, control pain intensity, and improve patient’s autonomy and functional capacities.
Thus, multimodal and individualized management, based on interdisciplinary coordination, now represents a central therapeutic model in preventing the transition to chronic pain, integrating the biomedical, psychological, and social dimensions of the pain experience.