Anesthesiology (Pain Management)

In addition to providing surgery-related pain relief, anesthesia has become an effective solution in the management of pain. Men and women differ in terms of weight and body mass, pain thresholds, hormonal variations and life stage concerns and, therefore, require a specialized approach in its administration and use. Lake Forest Hospital’s Department of Anesthesiology supports our surgical team on inpatient and outpatient surgeries as well as our obstetrics practice and emergency and acute care medicine departments. In addition, our anesthesiologists practice at the Hospital’s Center for Rehabilitation and Pain Management as well as our ACL Interventional Pain Physicians office at our Grayslake campus. Our physicians are all Board Certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology. 

Anesthesia for surgery—Whether we are working with you to determine the right type of pain relief for your labor and delivery or ensuring your comfort and safety throughout a surgical event and recovery period, Lake Forest Hospital maintains the highest safety standards for anesthesia care. We follow national standards for sterility and monitoring, and state-of-the-art equipment and technology are employed. Prior to your procedure, you will meet your board-certified anesthesiologist, who will review your history, formulate your anesthetic plan with you (including provisions for managing post-operative pain) and answer your questions. Patients plagued by pre-operative anxiety can receive a safe sedative on arrival in the Day Surgery unit or before going into surgery. If indicated, you will be observed post-surgery in an area known as the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), more commonly known as the Recovery Room.

Anesthesia for pain management—The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) reports that women are “more likely to experience more recurrent pain, more severe pain and longer lasting pain” than men. Chronic pain conditions most common among women include fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and migraine headaches. Our goal is to tailor a pain management approach that recognizes the biological, psychosocial and pain sensitivity issues of women; oftentimes, the optimal solution is anesthesia.

At Lake Forest Hospital, we work to identify the site of pain, decrease inflammation and provide pain relief to help patients improve the quality of daily living. Pain that comes from injured or inflamed nerves can often be improved by injecting certain medications to the area of injury. These treatments also allow patients to work effectively with physical therapists and start personal exercise programs to regain strength and function with less pain.