The last in our series of blogs covering the subject of pain management after you’ve had orthopedic surgery is: alternative therapies. Paragon Orthopedic Center is a big advocate of alternatives to opioids because of the dependency that can come with that class of drugs. In your pre-op discussion with Dr. Bents or Dr. Van Horne, alternatives are recommended according to the most recent research and your individualized surgical plan of care. Our surgeons stay current on the newest, proven ways to manage your pain and are open to giving those options to you. Some of the alternatives that have not been previously mentioned in our coverage on this topic are:
- Physical therapy
- Continuous Passive Motion (CPM)
- TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) unit
- Acupuncture
- Meditation/conscious breathing
- Psychological techniques: imagery, hypnosis, relaxation techniques
Putting some time into researching these options is a good idea for anyone who is considering surgery. Please make sure you discuss alternatives with your surgeon to make sure they will help and not do harm. Not all of these alternatives will help for all surgeries, which is why this needs to be a conversation with your surgeon before surgery.
Alternative Methods to Help Manage Pain After Orthopaedic Surgery – OrthoInfo – AAOS
