For moderate to severe pain, tramadol, a centrally acting analgesic, is prescribed. It belongs to the class of opioid analgesics, which work by binding to opioid receptors in the brain to alter how the body perceives and responds to pain. Tramadol is commonly used to treat conditions including back and hip pain as well as to control pain after surgery. In addition to its analgesic properties, tramadol also has some serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitory effects, which could account for some of its analgesic efficacy.