Managing pain after knee, shoulder surgeries without opioids
A pain management regimen without opioids offered the same pain relief as common prescription opioids, according to two recent studies of common sports surgeries.
A pain management regimen without opioids offered the same pain relief as common prescription opioids, according to two recent studies of common sports surgeries.
Whether it’s a tennis swing that causes a sudden tearing sensation in your shoulder or a slip and fall on the ice that leaves you unable to lift your arm, shoulder injuries are a common problem for adults 50 and older, doctors say. That’s largely because of aging-related changes in this body part, sometimes coupled with decades of overuse from work and play.
Two new studies on pain relief suggest there is a safer alternative to addictive opioid painkillers after knee and shoulder surgery.
Shoulder tightness can slowly creep up with age, affecting your ability to get adequate sleep, lift grocery bags, scrub the bathtub, or push open heavy doors. Maintaining shoulder mobility usually doesn’t become a focus until these daily activities of living become impacted—or pain and stiffness get unbearable.
The most common cause of knee pain can hit you in your 30s as easily as it can in your 60s and 70s. Osteoarthritis, or “wear-and-tear arthritis,” is the most common cause of knee pain – and the most common form of arthritis.