Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-26-2025
Abstract
This paper offers a clear, evidence-based look at how we can reduce opioid use after knee replacement surgery without sacrificing pain relief. This review focuses specifically on total knee arthroplasty (TKA)-one of the most commonly performed and most painful surgeries-and asks whether opioids are truly necessary. By analyzing results from 21 clinical trials, the paper shows that non-opioid medications like NSAIDs and gabapentinoids can provide similar pain control with fewer side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, constipation, and sedation. Lower risk of long-term use is an added benefit. A recent RCT found that after knee/shoulder arthroscopy, 72% of patients in an opioid-sparing protocol remained opioid-free over six weeks-compared to just 5.4% in the traditional opioid group.
Recommended Citation
Trimzi, Asim, "Rethinking Pain Relief After Surgery: What We Can Learn from Knee Replacements" (2025). SKMC Student Presentations and Publications. Paper 75.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/skmcstudentworks/75
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Language
English
Comments
This article is the author’s final published version in Delaware Journal of Public Health, Volume 11, Issue 3, 2025.
The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.32481/djph.2025.09.05. Copyright © 2025 Delaware Academy of Medicine / Delaware Public Health Association.