Orthopedic Surgery Without Opioids Is Possible, Researchers Say

Orthopedic surgeons in North Carolina have found that a non-opioid strategy was as effective as opioids in relieving pain in patients undergoing shoulder replacement surgery, in what the researchers are calling a groundbreaking study. In a group of 65 patients at the OrthoCarolina Shoulder and Elbow Center, 30 were treated with opioids during and after surgery, in addition to other therapies such as nerve blocks. The other patients were treated with a variety of non-opioid therapies, including cryotherapy, gabapentin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and acetaminophen. Pain scores were ...