Abstract: Introduction: Immediate
postoperative pain after total knee arthroplasty has remained a serious problem, which prolongs the length of hospital stay and functional recovery. Thus multimodal pain management protocol are followed in these patients. Our study aims to assess the efficacy of pregabalin use in pain management and functional recovery of patients in the immediate postoperative period.
Materials and Methods: We did a prospective randomised case control study by taking patients operated for total knee arthroplasty and receiving multimodal analgesia. We divided them into two groups with 100 patients in each group. GROUP A (with pregabalin) AND GROUP B (without pregabalin). We have given Pregabalin in recommended and FDA approved safe dosage of 75 mg one tab bedtime for a period of three weeks postoperatively along with selective COX-II inhibitors NSAIDs, (celecoxib) for three weeks. In another group, we have omitted the use of pregabalin and gave only celecoxib for three weeks. Patients were assessed by knee society score, WOMAC score, and VAS scores at 24 hr after surgery, 48 hr after surgery, at two weeks.
Results: The patients were divided into two groups each having 100 patients and were compared using statistical tools using one way ANOVA Test, The Vas Score, WOMAC Score, knee Range of motion and Knee Society Score showed statistically significant change in pregabalin group.
Discussion: We are performing this comparative study to assess its role in pain management and also its effects on functional outcomes of the patient. Few literature suggests that Pregabalin is effective for reducing opioid consumption after primary TKA and reducing respiratory, renal, and hemodynamic complications.
Conclusion: In my study the use of Pregabalin is suggestive of improvement in pain score and functional outcomes in the patients in immediate post-op period over 3 months. However, future studies regarding doses and pregabalin medication are required.
