Pain Management After Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Double-Blinded Trial Comparing Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, and Oxycodone

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110 patients scheduled for miniopen or endoscopic carpal tunnel release were randomized to postoperative analgesia with 10 pills of either acetaminophen 500mg, ibuprofen 600mg, or oxycodone 5mg. Patients were assessed for the mean number of pills consumed and mean pain scores over the first 5 postoperative days, as well as subjective assessment of whether allocated analgesia was adequate, if allocated medication was strong enough, and if allocated medication was too strong. Among patients who underwent endoscopic release, no significant differences in the mean number of pills consumed or pain scores were observed between the three groups. Similarly among patients who underwent miniopen release, mean number of pills consumed did not significantly differ between the three groups, though mean pain score was significantly lower within the acetaminophen group and ibuprofen group compared to the oxycodone group.