People get surgery to have something treated or to alleviate their suffering For adults, this may all seem normal, but for children, having surgery might just be the start of their problems.

Four million children undergo surgical procedures in the United States every year. And when it comes to postsurgical pain in pediatric patients, which may last weeks or months, it has been generally overlooked, unlike those of treated adults.

That is why Zeev Kain, professor and chair of anesthesiology and perioperative care at the University of California, Irvine, endeavored to study the pains that children experience after getting surgery.

He explained that that an operation is one of the most traumatic events that children face, and that many of them experience unnecessary postsurgical pain that can last for quite some time.

In Kain's study, he observed 113 kids who had procedures such as appendectomies and orthopedic surgery. Out of these children, 13% of them were reported to have felt pains that lingered for months.

Though the sample size of the study was small, Kain said that their findings are significant. Pointing out that over four million children undergo surgical procedures in the U.S. each year - half a million of these kids suffer from pains even after leaving the hospital, contributing to school absences and visits to the doctor which all cost money.

Based on research findings, Kain said that physicians need to be more effective when it comes to managing pain within 48 hours of surgery which have been proven to minimize the postsurgical pains of adults. In addition, Kain suggested that parents should be properly prepped to alleviate their child's pain in their own homes.

"Medical professionals must understand this issue better and learn how to work with parents to care for chronic pain," Kain commented.

After their surgery, children who can verbally express themselves can say when they are feeling hurt. But for those who are younger than 18 months - those that may have a hard time explaining how they feel - parents should look out for signs that their child is in pain.

eMedicine Health said that parents should look for signs such as crying, poor feeding, eating and drinking, lethargy, and sleeplessness. And if pains do persist, parents should remember that pain medications are different in children: dosages are often calculated by the child's weight.