Acupuncture and Electrotherapy Following Knee Replacement May Limit Opioid Use

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Tina Hernandez-Boussard, PhD MPH, MS Associate Professor of Medicine, Biomedical Data Science, and Surgery Stanford School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305-5479

Dr. Hernandez-Boussard

Tina Hernandez-Boussard, PhD MPH, MS
Associate Professor of Medicine, Biomedical Data Science, and Surgery
Stanford School of Medicine
Stanford, CA 94305-5479

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Opioid addiction is a national crisis.  As surgery is thought to be a gateway to opioid misuse, opioid-sparing approaches for pain management following surgery are a top priority.

We conducted a meta-analysis of 39 randomized clinical trials of common non-pharmalogical interventions used for postoperative pain management.

We found that acupuncture and electrotherapy following total knee replacement reduced or delayed patients’ opioid use.

MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Response: As prescription opioid use is under national scrutiny, it is important to identify drug-free pain management therapies that may reduce opioid use and therefore help curb the national epidemic. Several non-pharmaceutical treatments and their association with postoperative pain were identified in the literature. However, in our meta-analysis we found that only acupuncture and electrotherapy following total knee replacement were associated with delayed or reduced opioid consumption.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: Strong, unbiased evidence is needed to further support the results from this meta-analysis.  In particular, further evidence supporting the association between acupuncture and electrotherapy and reduced or delayed opioid consumption is critical to inform appropriate postoperative pain management. 

MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.

Citation:

Tedesco D, Gori D, Desai KR, Asch S, Carroll IR, Curtin C, McDonald KM, Fantini MP, Hernandez-Boussard T. Drug-Free Interventions to Reduce Pain or Opioid Consumption After Total Knee ArthroplastyA Systematic Review and Meta-analysisJAMA Surg. Published online August 16, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2017.2872

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.

 

Last Updated on August 21, 2017 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

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