Minimally invasive surgery for lung nodules can be somewhat painful, but the pain level is less severe than traditional open heart surgery. As long as it is a surgical procedure, there is no way to avoid some degree of pain. Even though lung nodules are minimally invasive, there are surgical incisions that can cause some degree of pain. Minimally invasive surgeries vary in the number of incisions and the number of holes made depending on the type of surgery, and the fewer the incisions, the less painful the procedure. However, overall, minimally invasive surgery does not require opening the chest or pulling on the ribs, and lobectomy and lymph node dissection can be accomplished through the operative holes, thus the level of pain will be much less. Generally, it may be relatively painful for 48 hours after the operation, and after discharge from the hospital seven days after the operation, there may be a little bit of mild pain, dull ache, numbness or throbbing pain, and basically the pain disappears about three months after the operation.