CE: Overcoming Movement-Evoked Pain to Facilitate Postoperative Recovery

Abstract

Severe postoperative movement-evoked pain (MEP) can be immobilizing, instilling in patients the fear that further activity will produce unbearable pain. This impedes healing and restoration of function while also extending time to recovery. Therefore, it is critical to manage MEP effectively through timely evaluation and comprehensive care planning. This article builds on recent calls to standardize testing of MEP to inform care planning in a way that both reduces pain and improves functioning. Subsequent reassessment of MEP can guide the refinement of therapy. Although this approach may seem intuitive, it challenges common practices that focus too heavily on pain intensity, resulting in overtreating, undertreating, or not treating pain, while ignoring the risks of immobility and the importance of movement for improving functional capacity. The authors propose a multifaceted approach to overcoming MEP that nurse clinicians, educators, researchers, and compliance professionals can use to enhance the quality and safety of nursing practice.