Dr. Dean Eggitt, a primary care consultant, ranked medical procedures by pain levels. In an interview with Daily Mail, he cautioed that while surgical techniques have advanced, patients can still face significant discomfort during recovery.
Major operations are not always more painful than minor procedures because pain management protocols vary and those undergoing bigger surgeries often receive stronger analgesia. Procedures performed under general anesthesia do not eliminate the risk of substantial pain afterward, as the challenges of healing, movement, and rehabilitation set in once the anesthetic wears off, according to Eggitt.
Bones and nerves
Procedures that most commonly rate high on the pain scale involve bones and nerves, such as spinal fusion, open-heart surgery, and total knee replacement. These operations affect structural and nerve-rich areas, and complete immobilization afterward is not possible, which can intensify discomfort during recovery. For total knee replacement, the post-operative phase can feel more punishing than the operation itself because rehabilitation typically requires physiotherapy that stresses healing tissues. Eggitt advises patients to plan medication, optimal sitting positions, sleep schedules, and how they will handle daily activities in the early weeks of recovery.
Open-heart surgery exemplifies why recovery can eclipse the operation in terms of pain and difficulty. The procedure involves a large incision in the chest, and surgeons rejoin the split sternum with wires that must remain stable during healing, a process that takes about 12 weeks. Patients typically experience moderate to severe pain early on. Getting out of bed, coughing, or taking deep breaths can exacerbate discomfort during the initial recovery phase. The depth of the incision and the constant micro-movements of the chest with breathing make true rest hard to achieve when the breastbone is still knitted together.
Spinal tap
Beyond major surgeries, several diagnostic and therapeutic procedures also feature prominently on the pain spectrum. Bone marrow aspiration or biopsy—performed to collect stem cells or evaluate for cancer—requires the insertion of a needle into the pelvic bone. Even with local anesthetic and patients awake during the procedure, many report a distinctive pulling sensation as marrow is drawn. Afterward, bruising and bone pain can persist for several days.
A lumbar puncture is used to diagnose conditions affecting the brain and spinal cord and to deliver medication or anesthesia. The needle passes between vertebrae in the lower back. People commonly feel pressure, tingling, and general discomfort. Side effects can include headaches, bleeding, swelling, and ongoing back pain. In some cases, nerve damage has been reported.
Gynecological procedures also feature in the ranking. Hysteroscopy, which allows clinicians to examine the inside of the uterus using a thin instrument, is often described by patients as extremely painful when performed without sufficient pain control. The procedure frequently requires either local or general anesthesia to manage discomfort, reflecting both the sensitivity of the area and the individual variability in pain response.