Limiting Postoperative Knee Pain After Total Knee Replacement

The management of postoperative pain in patients having Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) continues to improve as surgical procedures and pharmacology advance. The current standard of care is multimodal pain management, which includes opioids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, gabapentinoids, peripheral nerve blocks and periarticular injections. Newer techniques include local anesthetics with delayed release and cryneurolysis. To summarize the current evidence-based treatment modalities and predict changes in the management of TKA patients, we reviewed available data on: • Oral Analgesics • Periarticular Injections • Peripheral Nerve Blocks • Multimodal Regimens • Newer modalities for post-TKA pain management Multimodal analgesic regimens that target many pain pathways may offer the most effective pain treatment, rehabilitation, patient satisfaction and reduction of opioid use and associated adverse effects. Periarticular injections of local anaesthetics with delayed release may further improve pain control.