20 papers · updated 2026-09-26 · General Orthopaedics · All topics
The newest papers on opioid prescribing from the orthopaedic journals The Reduction reads, newest first, each with a one-line summary. The list is drawn from the digest’s archive and refreshed every week.
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Despite worse clinical outcomes, patients undergoing revision TKA for stiffness had similar postoperative pain scores and opioid consumption compared to those revised for other aseptic reasons.
Preoperative SSRI use was linked to higher rates of pseudoarthrosis and substantially greater postoperative opioid use after both anterior and posterior cervical fusion in this propensity-matched analysis.
In a multicenter registry of 351 primary TKA patients, preoperative cryoneurolysis reduced postoperative opioid use and pain severity through six months and modestly improved KOOS JR function scores, supporting its use as an opioid-sparing adjunct.
Patients with opioid-related disorder had significantly higher ED visits, hospitalizations, PT evaluations, and opioid prescriptions after distal radius fracture repair than matched non-ORD patients.
In over 33,000 matched patients, regional nerve blocks for thumb CMC arthroplasty raised costs without reducing early ED visits or opioid prescriptions, questioning their routine use.
In AIS spinal fusion patients, replacing PCA-based opioid regimens with liposomal bupivacaine plus dexamethasone markedly cut opioid use and shortened hospital stay without worsening pain control.
From surgical backlog to opioid burden : the case for opioid stewardship in arthroplasty pathways.
Annotation argues for opioid stewardship throughout arthroplasty care pathways to counter rising perioperative opioid reliance amid prolonged surgical wait times.
Implementing Evidence-based Opioid Prescribing in Pediatric Orthopaedics.
Reviews POSNA opioid prescribing guidelines for pediatric orthopaedic surgery, highlighting implementation barriers and strategies to safely optimize postoperative pain control.
Antipsychotic medications increase ACDF complications, healthcare utilization, opioid prescriptions, and subsequent cervical surgery.
Orthopaedic trauma inpatients experience short, fragmented sleep, and higher opioid use is independently associated with worse sleep quality during hospitalization.
Evidence suggests preoperative cannabis use does not significantly affect postoperative opioid consumption after orthopaedic surgery, though pain outcomes remain mixed.
Orthopaedic surgeons must understand OUD medications and multimodal pain strategies to safely manage postoperative pain without precipitating relapse or undertreating acute pain.
This narrative review finds opioid use is common among youth athletes (28-46% lifetime use in high schoolers), with sports participation itself linked to greater risk of future opioid misuse.
Evidenced-Based Opioid Prescribing Recommendations Following Hand and Upper-Extremity Surgery.
This review provides evidence-based opioid prescribing recommendations for common hand and upper-extremity procedures to combat overprescribing and reduce opioid misuse.
Opioid Stewardship in Orthopaedic Surgery: Principles and Practice.
This review outlines opioid stewardship principles—multidisciplinary, evidence-based prescribing practices—to help orthopaedic surgeons combat opioid overuse and misuse.
Discharge opioid prescriptions exceed inpatient consumption; prescribing amounts that approximate inpatient use reduces overprescription without increasing refill rates.
This AOA symposium report addresses the opioid crisis in orthopaedics, urging multimodal, non-narcotic pain management strategies and policy changes to reduce perioperative opioid overprescribing.
Ethics of Opioid Prescriber Regulations: Physicians, Patients, and Pain.
Ethical review finds most opioid-prescribing interventions sound, but rigid prescribing limits without patient/procedure accommodation may harm appropriate pain care.
Multimodal anesthesia combining regional blocks and non-opioid adjuncts significantly reduces opioid requirements during upper extremity surgery, with guidance for surgeons and anesthesiologists.
What Orthopaedic Surgeons Need to Know: The Basic Science Behind Opioids.
This review outlines the pharmacologic basics of opioid and nonopioid analgesics to help orthopaedic surgeons prescribe more responsibly amid the opioid epidemic.
Opioid Consumption Following Outpatient Upper Extremity Surgery
Study found patients after outpatient upper extremity surgery used far fewer opioid pills than prescribed, supporting smaller initial prescriptions to reduce diversion risk.
Risk of Prolonged Opioid Use Among Opioid-Naïve Patients Following Common Hand Surgery Procedures
About 13% of opioid-naïve patients continued filling opioid prescriptions 90–180 days after common hand surgeries, underscoring need for preoperative risk-based opioid-sparing strategies.
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