How Prolonged Opioid Use Prior To TKA or THA Can Complicate Your Recovery

A recent study that explored this potential risk factor concluded that patients who have taken opioids for at least 60 days prior to Total Knee Arthroplasty or Total Hip Arthroplasty are at a significantly higher risk for finding themselves back in the hospital shortly after their surgery to treat pain and immobility – they could even find themselves undergoing repeat surgery to replace the knee or hip again!

The study was published in the July 2018 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, published by the Lippincott portfolio in partnership with Wolters Kluwer, and it claims that patients who had used opioids consistently for periods longer than 60 days prior to Total Knee Arthroplasty or Total Hip Arthroplasty were at a significantly higher risk for readmittance into the hospital or repeat surgery to replace the knee or hip a second time when compared to a group of patients with no prior opioid use.

When considering pre-operative opioid use as a risk factor, readmission to the hospital within 30 days and repeat joint-replacement surgery within one to three years were considered the two major outcomes. Of the 16% (TKA) and 19% (THA) of patients who had reported prolonged opioid use prior to the surgery, 6.17% (TKA) and 5.85% (THA) had reported one or two of the major health outcomes after their surgeries, which was significantly higher than the percentage of patients who had not reported prolonged opioid use prior to surgery.

So take care and be smart during your recovery and speak with your Dr. with any questions or concerns you may have with your prescriptions.


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