What to Do About Ongoing Pain After Abdominal Surgery

Recovering from an abdominal surgery can take time, but ongoing abdominal pain after the initial recovery period can make you feel defeated — and it isn’t something to ignore. 

If you’re still in pain — long after your initial recovery — it’s time to speak up.

Take a moment as Bradley A. Silva, MD, and the Lakeshore Pain and Spine Center team explain options if you have ongoing pain and how our team in Kenosha, Wisconsin, can help.

Six possible reasons for ongoing pain after abdominal surgery

Pain after abdominal surgery can stem from various sources, and the next steps depend on what is causing your pain.

Here are a few possible reasons for pain after surgery:

1. Post-surgical infection

Post-surgical infections or inflammation in the abdomen can contribute to ongoing pain. Signs of infection include redness, swelling, fever, or discharge from the incision site.

Infections are typically addressed with oral antibiotics, proper wound care, and possibly topical antibiotic cream.

Infections can intensify quickly, so if you suspect there’s an infection, reach out to your surgeon as quickly as possible.

2. Excessive contraction

As your surgical incisions heal, the edges of the wound draw together to close and reduce the wound's size. This process happens as fibroblasts (a type of cell involved in wound healing) generate contractile forces. 

This natural process, called wound contraction, is important because it reduces the size of the area that needs new tissue. 

Wound contraction is especially helpful for smaller wounds and occurs primarily in the second phase of wound healing, but excessive contraction (which can sometimes happen in larger wounds) can lead to scarring or tightness.

If you have tightness or pain from excessive contraction, you might consider dermabrasion, fat grafting, laser treatments, or scar revision surgery.

3. Scar tissue (adhesions)

Your incision site isn’t the only scar tissue that causes problems after abdominal surgery.

Scar tissue can also form inside the abdomen as part of your body’s healing response. The adhesions, though, can potentially cause discomfort or restrict your movement.

Scar tissue can form in your abdomen for several reasons (including endometriosis), but 75% of scar tissue cases are a direct result of abdominal surgery.

Surgery isn’t typically recommended for adhesions because once the scar tissue is removed, there’s no way to prevent more scar tissue from forming.  However, you might need surgery if your adhesions cause major issues like total bowel obstruction.

If you have a partial bowel obstruction that results from an adhesion, you may benefit from dietary changes, such as eating softer or low-fiber food to help bowels pass. 

Pain medication and soft tissue mobilization can also help with pain related to adhesions.

4. Nerve damage

Surgical procedures can sometimes irritate or damage abdominal nerves, which can then lead to persistent pain or unusual sensations in the area. This symptom is referred to as surgically induced neuropathic pain. 

If you have surgically induced neuropathic pain, you might benefit from medication, nerve blockers, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy, or surgical repair.

5. Hernias

Occasionally, abdominal surgery may weaken the muscle wall and lead to hernias, which happen when an organ or tissue bulges through that weakened area.  

Incisional hernias, where tissue pushes through a weak spot near your incision, are treated with surgery. 

6. Cancer

Cancerous tumors can also cause ongoing pain, especially if tumors grow or press on your nerves. This treatment depends on the next step in your cancer treatment plan, but pain management strategies can help alleviate some discomfort.

What to do about postoperative abdominal pain

If you have ongoing pain after abdominal surgery, speak up! Dr. Silva and the Lakeshore Pain and Spine Center team offer several therapies and treatments to help you find relief, but the first step is to determine why you have ongoing pain.

The team may recommend some of the following, depending on the root cause of your pain:

• Injections
• Medication management
• Lifestyle changes
• Physical therapy
• Ketamine for neuropathic pain
• Psychotherapy 
• Surgery
• Interventional pain therapies

If you have ongoing pain after abdominal surgery, call us at 262-484-4035 to explore your pain management options. Alternatively, use our online scheduling system to book your next appointment.