Papers of the Week

Spontaneous pain after surgical incision is a significant problem for most post-operative patients. Pain management that relies on opioids is hindered by numerous side effects, fueling interest in non-opioid alternatives and multimodal approaches. Subcutaneous capsaicin infiltration has shown potential for reducing post-operative pain, but there are unanswered questions about safety and possible side effects. In adult rats, we characterized the analgesic effects of pre-operative capsaicin infiltration into the skin prior to plantar incision and assessed wound healing and epidermal innervation.