The multiligament knee injury presents as a complex injury pattern that has substantial
potential to cause long-term disability. Patients who sustain this injury pattern
experience significant pain not only immediately following injury but also throughout
the perioperative and postoperative period. Treating pain with major orthopaedic procedures
is challenging but technical success of a surgical repair becomes trivial when pain
is not effectively managed. This article will (1) provide an outline of the types
of pain most often sustained in the multiligament knee injury, (2) outline the phases
of pain management for this injury, and (3) provide an overview of persistent postoperative
pain. The principles of multimodal analgesia in combination with effective regional
anesthesia and attentive intraoperative management can position patients for successful
rehabilitation and recovery.
Keywords
postoperative pain management - multimodal analgesia - persistent postoperative pain
- regional anesthesia - neuraxial anesthesia
