Pain Management After Outpatient Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Conclusion: Regional nerve blocks and intra-articular injections are both effective forms of analgesia. Cryotherapy-compression appears to be beneficial, provided that intra-articular temperatures are sufficiently decreased. Early mobilization reduces pain symptoms. Gabapentin, zolpidem, ketorolac, and ibuprofen decrease opioid consumption. Despite the vast amount of high-quality evidence on this topic, further research is needed to determine the optimal multimodal approach that can maximize recovery while minimizing pain and opioid consumption. Clinical Relevance: These results provide the best available evidence from RCTs on pain control regimens after ACL reconstruction.
Source: The American Journal of Sports Medicine - Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Tags: Knee ligaments, ACL, Anesthesia/pain management, NSAIDS Current Concepts Source Type: research