Physical Therapy Shines in New Joint Replacement Opioid Study

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Can a solid focus on pre- and postoperative physical therapy lessen the odds of long-term opioid use after total joint replacement surgery? A group from the Boston University School of Medicine and Optum Labs in Minnesota thought that may be the case. Their work, “Association of Physical Therapy Interventions With Long-term Opioid Use After Total Knee Replacement,” appears in the October 27, 2021, edition of JAMA Network Open.

Co-author Deepak Kumar, PT, Ph.D. provide background regarding the study to OTW: “Total knee replacement (TKR) for knee osteoarthritis is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in the U.S. and rates of TKR are expected to rise exponentially over the next couple of decades. Although TKR is a very effective surgery, up to a third of the patients continue to experience pain after the surgery. And a significant proportion become long-term opioid users after surgery making this an important public health challenge.”