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  • Clinical Techniques
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Postoperative multimodal pain management

Lab Animal volume 44, pages 132–134 (2015)Cite this article

Pain management is essential to animal welfare and scientific reliability, as pain in research animals may confound experimental data. Recently, multimodal approaches to pain management have been developed and proposed to offer optimal pain control. This column explores the effects of a multimodal approach versus administration of a single analgesic on postoperative recovery in mice.

In laboratory animal science, pain management for invasive procedures is a necessary and important refinement. As a general rule, what is deemed painful for humans is considered to be painful for animals, and so it is important to use anesthetics and analgesics in animals undergoing surgery or other potentially painful study procedures1,2. Pain management is essential from the standpoints of both animal welfare and scientific reliability. Research results may be affected if a study animal is in poor health or experiencing pain and distress. Recent controlled studies suggest that use of a multimodal approach to target different pain receptors offers optimal pain control3,4,5. We investigated whether a combination of pain medications achieved a quicker return to normal activity level after surgery in BALB/c mice.

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  1. US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD

    Sarah Kuchinsky &  Jill Ascher

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  1. Sarah Kuchinsky
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  2. Jill Ascher
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Correspondence to Sarah Kuchinsky.

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Kuchinsky, S., Ascher, J. Postoperative multimodal pain management. Lab Anim 44, 132–134 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban.744

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