10
December
2019
|
15:42 PM
America/New_York

Less Pain, Reduced Need for Opioids

Autumn Years Magazine features a bylined article by Geoffrey H. Westrich, MD, hip and knee surgeon at HSS, about the advancements and changes of managing pain after joint replacement surgery.

Dr. Westrich wrote although opioids are highly effective and often part of the overall pain management plan after surgery, they should be prescribed in the lowest dose needed to provide pain relief and for the shortest amount of time necessary. He explained one advancement in pain management is a personalized multimodal plan, which lessens the need for opioid medication after surgery. Multimodal analgesia involves the use of two or more medications targeting multiple pain pathways to block pain, and it begins during the surgery itself. Anesthetic pain medication is administered inside the joint during hip or knee replacement, and afterward, the patient receives a multimodal pain control pain based on their needs.

Read the article at Omagdigital.com beginning on page 20.