5 questions to ask your surgeon about opioid-free recovery

You're handed a prescription for 30 to 60 opioid tablets on your way out of surgery, often without a conversation about whether you'll need them all — or what else is possible. You're allowed to ask. Surgeons want engaged patients, and a few specific questions can change your whole recovery.

1. “What's your multimodal plan for my pain?”

“Multimodal” means combining approaches — scheduled acetaminophen and NSAIDs, nerve blocks, ice, movement, and non-drug adjuncts — so opioids do less of the work. If the answer is only “take the oxycodone as needed,” that's worth a longer conversation.

2. “Can I use an FDA-cleared device alongside my protocol?”

SofPulse targeted pulsed electromagnetic field (tPEMF) therapy is FDA-cleared as an adjunctive treatment for post-operative pain and edema in soft tissue. “Adjunctive” is the key word: it works alongside your surgeon's plan, not instead of it. In published double-blind trials it reduced pain and narcotic use — ask whether it fits your case.

3. “How will we know if I'm using too many opioids?”

The first 48 hours predict a lot. Agreeing on a check-in — a call, a portal message, a number of pills that should be “enough” — turns a silent risk into a managed one.

4. “What should recovery feel like, day by day?”

Knowing the normal arc — where pain should be at day one, day three, day eight — lets you tell the difference between healing and a problem, and reduces the reflex to reach for another pill just in case.

5. “Who do I call, and when?”

A clear escalation path is the quietest form of pain control. Knowing exactly who to reach, and for what, removes the anxiety that makes pain feel worse.

None of this replaces your surgeon's judgment. It just makes you a partner in it. Recovery goes better when you and your care team have the same plan — and when the plan was discussed, not assumed.