Patient-Reported Satisfaction with Non-opioid and Opioid Pain Control is Comparable Following Common Orthopedic Procedures: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: A significant proportion of circulating opioids can be attributed to overprescribing of these medications for post-operative pain control. The present study aimed to determine the success of pain management after surgery, to gain insight into how satisfaction levels vary between those patients receiving opioid pain relief and those treated with non-opioid methods only following common orthopedic procedures. Methods: 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. Results: There were 159 patients who 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%) with non-opioid users more frequently reporting very well controlled pain and greater satisfaction (p = 0.002 and p = 0.005, respectively). 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. No statistically significant differences in reported pain control and satisfaction were observed for carpal tunnel release or shoulder arthroscopy. Discussion: Patients who did not use opioids after knee arthroscopy reported significantly better perceived pain control and satisfaction than those who did. For shoulder arthroscopy and carpal tunnel release, patient satisfaction was high in both groups without significant differences. Providers should be aware of the utility in pursuing non-opioid versus opioid analgesia after certain common orthopedic procedures.