Patient Satisfaction with Nonopioid and Opioid Pain Control is Comparable Following Common Orthopedic Procedures

Authors

Ty E. Bever, The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at The University of VermontFollow
Clemens An BS, The Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine at The University of VermontFollow
Ashwini Sarathy BS, The Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine at The University of VermontFollow
Peter Calls PhD, Department of Surgery, University of Vermont Medical CenterFollow
Chason Ziino MD, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, The Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine at The University of VermontFollow
Mayo H. Fujii MD, Department of Surgery, University of Vermont Medical CenterFollow

Document Type

Manuscript

Submission Date

2025

Abstract

A significant proportion of circulating opioids can be attributed to overprescribing of these medications for post-operative pain control. The present study focused on assessing patients' views regarding pain management after surgery, with the goal of gaining insights into how satisfaction levels vary between those receiving opioid pain relief and those treated with non-opioid methods only following orthopedic procedures. A prospective cohort study was conducted at a university hospital using a phone survey and a retrospective review of electronic medical records from 2017 to 2019. Opioid prescriptions, usage, and patient-reported pain outcomes were recorded to compare opioid and non-opioid users after knee arthroscopy, shoulder arthroscopy, and carpal tunnel release. 159 patients underwent common orthopedic procedures and met inclusion criteria. Among the 66 patients who underwent knee arthroscopy, 62/64 respondents (96.8%) were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with pain control whether they used opioids (97.8%) or not (94%). In the 32 patients who underwent carpal tunnel release, in both the opioid (18.7%) and non-opioid (81.2%) groups all patients were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with pain control. Of the 61 shoulder arthroscopy patients, 96.1% using opioids were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with pain control compared to 100% in the non-opioid group. There was no statistically significant difference in patient satisfaction with pain control between non-opioid and opioid users for any of the procedures listed. The results of our study suggest that non-opioid users after knee arthroscopy, shoulder arthroscopy, and carpal tunnel release have similar satisfaction with pain control after surgery compared to opioid-users. Providers should be aware of the utility in pursuing non-opioid versus opioid analgesia after certain common orthopedic procedures.

Recommended Citation

Bever, Ty E.; An, Clemens BS; Sarathy, Ashwini BS; Calls, Peter PhD; Ziino, Chason MD; and Fujii, Mayo H. MD, "Patient Satisfaction with Nonopioid and Opioid Pain Control is Comparable Following Common Orthopedic Procedures" (2025). Larner College of Medicine Fourth Year Advanced Integration Teaching/Scholarly Projects. 56.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/m4sp/56

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