Acupuncture, electrotherapy after knee replacement associated with reduced and delayed opioid use
Published Friday 18 August 2017
An analysis of drug-free interventions to reduce pain or opioid use after total knee replacement found modest but clinically significant evidence that acupuncture and electrotherapy can potentially reduce and delay opioid use; evidence for other interventions, such as cryotherapy and preoperative exercise, had less support, according to a study published by JAMA Surgery.
Inadequate postoperative pain management has profound effects. Long-term influences of poor pain management include transition to chronic pain and prolonged narcotic consumption, which can result in opioid dependence, an epidemic in the United States. There is increased interest in nonpharmacological treatments to reduce pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA; knee replacement). Yet, little consensus supports the effectiveness of these interventions.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/319027.php
