Do Relaxation Exercises Decrease Pain After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair? A Randomized Controlled Trial
OrthoEvidence Journal (OE Journal) - ACE Report
OE Journal. 2021;9(14):17 Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2021 May 1;479(5): 870-884.What this means for my practice?
Results of this trial suggest that patients practicing relaxation breathing exercises after undergoing an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair have similar pain outcomes to those receiving standard pain management medications up to 5 days post-surgery; yet, patients consume significantly less opioids at 2 weeks post-surgery. This study had several limitations including self-reported pain and opioid consumption (i.e., self-reporting using journals) which could have biased the results. Furthermore, the intervention consisted of a 5-min video supplemented by pamphlets which would have benefited to have professionals train patients on the breathing relaxation exercises. Therefore, future randomized controlled trials utilizing objective measures of pain, and implementing professional training of relaxation breathing exercises to patients are needed to confirm the findings of this study.
Study Summary
One hundred and forty-six patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears scheduled to undergo an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair were randomized to receive standard pain management medication (n=72) or practice relaxation breathing exercises (n=74) for reducing pain. Primary outcomes of interest included pain on the visual analogue scale during rest and activity and opioid consumption measured in morphine milligram equivalents (MME) on post-operative days 1 to 5. Results of this study revealed that during post-operative days 1-5, no significant difference was observed for VAS pain during rest and activity and opioid consumption between the relaxation and standard pain management groups (p>0.05 for all).
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