Assessment of Nerve Distribution and Its Influence on Postoperative Pain and Recovery
1Dr Marwa Riaz, 2Asghar Ali, 3Syeda Khoula Azmat, 4Dr Tabbsum Raja, 5Dr Danish Marwat, 6Dr Adnan Jahangir
Submission: 17 February 2026 | Acceptance: 19 March 2026 | Publication: 10 April 2026,
1UHS, Lahore
2Bacha khan medical college /MMC Mardan
3Assistant professor neurosurgery Dow university hospital ojha campus
4Service Hospital, Lahore
5PIMS, Islamabad
6UHS, Lahore
Abstract
Background
Despite improvements in anesthesia and surgical methods, postoperative pain is still a major problem in contemporary surgery. One important aspect affecting postoperative pain and healing is the distribution of nerves in various anatomical locations. The purpose of this study was to examine how nerve distribution affected recovery outcomes and postoperative pain severity in three distinct surgical groups: head and neck, abdomen, and orthopedic.
Methods
Three surgery groups of 40 patients each comprised the 120 participants in this prospective observational cohort research. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) were used to quantify the degree of pain at 24, 48, and 1 week after surgery. The Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) were used to measure recovery outcomes. The distribution of nerves in the surgery area was examined using preoperative imaging (MRI/CT scans).
Results
The intensity of postoperative pain varied significantly between the surgery groups, according to the study. At 24 hours after surgery, the head and neck surgery group reported the least amount of pain (mean NRS = 4.2 ± 1.0), whereas the orthopedic surgery group reported the most (mean NRS score of 7.2 ± 1.4). Compared to the abdominal and head and neck groups, the orthopedic surgery group experienced a longer period of pain alleviation after nerve-blocking procedures (mean duration = 14.3 hours ± 2.1). The head and neck surgery group recovered the fastest (mean mRS = 1.3 ± 0.5), while the orthopedic surgery group had the longest recovery period (mean mRS = 3.2 ± 1.1). The orthopedic surgery group had the densest nerve distribution, according to preoperative imaging, which probably contributed to their longer recovery durations and more severe pain.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates that nerve distribution has a major impact on recovery durations and postoperative pain severity. The results highlight how crucial it is to comprehend nerve architecture in order to enhance postoperative pain treatment. More study utilizing cutting-edge imaging methods may result in more individualized pain management plans, improving surgical patients’ recuperation and quality of life.
Keywords
Postoperative pain, nerve distribution, recovery outcomes, pain intensity, nerve-blocking techniques, orthopedic surgery, abdominal surgery, head and neck surgery, Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), imaging techniques, MRI, CT scan.