With a ruptured disk in my low back, significantly little cartilage remaining in my knee, I view pain as a reason to back off and allow the swelling due to more injury, inflammation, etc to recede. I don't want to mask elevated pains, I want to respond to them.
Exactly. I can deal with pain--after all it is just my body's way of telling me something isn't 'right'. If I dope it over, I risk doing more damage. To me, that makes as much sense as putting a sticky note over the oil pressure gauge in your car because it is reading really low. Just not a good idea.
If you know what's wrong, you had it fixed, and you are on the mend, something to take the edge off might be in order--as long as you aren't going full tilt, and don't forget you aren't up to snuff yet. Still, why risk tearing that apart?