Acupuncture and electrotherapy after knee replacement may reduce pain

Acupuncture and electrotherapy can reduce pain and delay opioid use after total knee replacement operations says an analysis of drug-free interventions published in JAMA Surgery.

The team looked at data from over 2,300 people and evaluated the effectiveness of commonly used drug-free interventions for pain management after knee replacement operations.

The most commonly performed interventions included continuous passive motion, preoperative exercise, cryotherapy, electrotherapy and acupuncture.

The researchers found moderate evidence that acupuncture and electrotherapy improved postoperative pain management and reduced opioid consumption. There was very low-certainty evidence that cryotherapy reduced opioid consumption, but no evidence that it improves perceived pain. The findings suggest that continuous passive motion and preoperative exercise do not help reduce pain or opioid consumption.

” After total knee arthroplasty, electrotherapy and acupuncture were associated with reduced and delayed opioid consumption,” the authors conclude.

Click here to read the original research.

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