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JAOA study finds pain relief method can aid knee surgery recovery

Periarticular injections may reduce postoperative hospital stay, number of inpatient physical therapy sessions for patients.

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Patients who received periarticular injections of analgesic medication following primary total knee arthroplasty surgery averaged 2.3 inpatient physical therapy sessions compared to 3.5 sessions for those receiving the femoral nerve block, according to a new study in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association (JAOA). The study also found patients had a half-day decrease in hospital stay.

“Periarticular injections, unlike femoral nerve blocks, allow patients to maintain control of the quadriceps muscles. Enabling the quadriceps to fully engage helps patients to get up and begin walking independently faster,” explains the orthopedic surgeon and lead author Brandon Horn, DO, of the McLaren Greater Lansing Medical Center in Michigan.

Postoperative pain control is essential to recovery from total knee arthroplasty because patients must bear weight on the new joint within 12 to 24 hours after surgery and begin physical therapy, the researchers noted.

Dr. Horn performed the bilateral total knee arthroplasty in which a femoral nerve block was administered at the first operation and a periarticular injection of extended-release bupivacaine liposome mixture was used after the second operation for all 16 patients whose records were reviewed for the study.

Read the JAOA study to learn more about this pain relief method.

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