Typically, at the end of every operation Dr. Rai will inject a long-acting anesthetic to try to minimize post operative pain for his patients. While this can help it is important to understand that there will still be pain present from the operation.

Dr. Rai will use a long-acting anesthetic called Bupivacaine. This will typically last between 6- 8 hours. There is another medication called Exparel. This is the same bupivacaine but manufactured as an extended release. In theory Exparel can last up to 72 hours. Dr. Rai does offer Exparel in his practice and about 30% of patients will elect to use it. While Exparel does add an additional cost to the surgery, there are no additional risks of using it.