"How do we manage this? All patients meet with the physical therapist before surgery and within two days after surgery. They use transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) before and after surgery. They get a regional anesthetic block from one of our anesthesiologists, supplemented with local injection during surgery. They use a cold machine to provide continuous cryotherapy. Standard medication prescriptions include a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), acetaminophen, and gabapentin. Also recommended is a cannabinoid. This is cannabidiol (CBD) for our patients, without tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana."

Michael Day is an orthopedic surgeon.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Opioid-free orthopedic surgery: Why (and how) my patients go opioid free after surgery."

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