Pain Management After Total Joint Arthroplasty

Pain management following total joint arthroplasty continues to be a growing area of interest as surgical techniques and instrumentation improve and allow for potentially more rapid recovery time. A variety of peri/post-operative pain management protocols are used by arthroplasty surgeons and anesthesiologists with little consensus. However, it is clear that uncontrolled postoperative pain may result in significant morbidity – including delayed mobilization, poor surgical outcomes, and prolonged hospitalization. In this article the systemic administration of narcotics, neuraxial anesthesia, peripheral nerve blockade, intra-articular analgesia, and non-opioid oral analgesics for use in the total joint arthroplasty population are reviewed.

Keywords: pain, analgesia, hip arthroplasty, knee arthroplasty, total joint replacement, regional anesthesia, NSAIDs