Monday, October 20, 2014

Pain Control After Knee Replacement

knee replacement surgery is done to replace the weight-bearing surface of the knee joint to relieve pain and disability in patients suffering from osteoarthritis. Many people across the world go through this painful procedure annually, but most of them are not equipped with the information necessary to make the post-surgery period easier. Postoperative pain may leave some patients initially questioning why they underwent the operation.




"All patients undergoing total knee replacement will experience pain; our challenge is to reduce the pain to a satisfactory level in the post-operative  period"

Multimodal pain control starts before surgery wherein the patient is administered drugs like iv paracetamol and pregabalin. Pain control works best when started before the procedure as it prevents the beginning of pain sensation from the very start.



Most knee replacements are performed under spinal anesthesia or combined spinal-epidural anesthesia where the anesthetic drugs are delivered through catheterin the spine region to numb both the legs. The catheter is kept inserted in the spine for approximately 18 to 24 hours after the surgery to give additional pain relieving drugs in the post-surgery period. This catheter can be continued for 2to 3 days to allow controlled delivery of local anesthetic drug and for continued pain control.

Along with painkillers, drugs to control nausea and vomiting are also used to make the patient comfortable in the post-operative period. Sometimes the surgeon might also inject a combination of local anesthetic, antibiotics, steroid and opioid painkiller in the joint region for local pain relief

The Right Pain Control Can Help
  • You to be more comfortable
  • You to get back to your normal routine
  • Promote healing

Multimodal pain management reduces pain after surgery, reduces the need for opioid painkillers and therefore reduces their side effects. It improves functional recovery with greater patient satisfaction. This also helps you participate to the best of your ability in your physical therapy program so that you have a joint that functions well. Since the surgeon and the anesthesiologist both play a very important role in this plan, discuss with your clinician the pain management plan that's right for you

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