ROCHESTER, Minn. — A pain management regimen without opioids offered the same pain relief as common prescription opioids, according to two recent studies of common sports surgeries.
Opioids can help people manage pain, but they can be addictive. Nationwide, opioid prescriptions rose from 76 million in 1990 to a peak of 255 million in 2012. Between 1990 and 2017, deaths related to opioids increased sixfold.
The challenge for surgeons is to minimize opioid use while optimizing patients' pain control after surgery, says Kelechi Okoroha, M.D., a Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist. Dr. Okoroha is the senior author of both studies.
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