Why do I have pain after my hysterectomy?

Hysterectomies are a common procedure around the world. There are many reasons to have a hysterectomy done. But like with any surgery some patients experience ongoing pain that they did not have before the surgery after they have recovered. This is referred to as persistent postoperative pain. There are many risk factors for having persistent pain after a hysterectomy. Those risk factors include pre-existing pain (chronic pain anywhere including migraine headaches or poorly controlled arthritis), the type of anesthesia used (regional anesthesia appears to be protective) and the amount of pain you experienced during the first few days after surgery. There are many other risk factors and simple peri-operative interventions that can be done to reduce your risk of having pain after a hysterectomy.