The best defense, as the saying goes, is a good offense. You should apply that principle to the battle for control over the pain your bariatric patients will experience. Laparoscopic bariatric surgery is a minimal-access surgery; it's not minimally invasive. The incision may be smaller than an open procedure, but the surgery involves major internal work and a great amount of pain potential. Effective post-operative pain management is essential to improving the results of your bariatric practice, and reducing your patients' post-op pain should begin before the first incision is made.