The top 3 most painful surgeries are generally considered to be:
- Spinal Fusion and Complex Spinal Reconstruction: These involve the spine, with high nerve density and significant soft tissue trauma, causing intense pain during recovery.
- Total Joint Replacements (Knee and Hip): These surgeries involve replacing damaged joint surfaces with artificial implants, which cause substantial pain during and after the procedure due to manipulation of bones and muscles.
- Gallbladder Removal (Open Cholecystectomy): This abdominal surgery causes pain immediately after surgery and throughout recovery, lasting 4 to 6 weeks or more, due to the nature of the incision and manipulation of surrounding tissues.
These surgeries are consistently reported as among the most painful due to the invasiveness and the recovery challenges they pose. Other surgeries like heel bone surgery and neurological surgeries also rank high in pain but the above three are the most frequently cited.
