New study proposes strategies for pain control after total knee replacement

Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), the standard of care following total knee replacement, has been improved upon with multimodal pain management strategies. While PCA can trigger constipation, nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure, and other issues, the new approach is more effective and causes fewer adverse events. Practitioners use a combination of medications before and after the operation, regional anesthesia with preoperative nerve block, and intraoperative pain injections to achieve optimal patient outcomes.