According to a new study published online October 27 in JAMA Network Open, physical therapy may decrease the risk of long-term opioid use in patients who have had total knee replacement (TKR).

The investigators assessed the records from an insurance claims database and identified 67,322 participants, 40 years of age and older, who underwent TKR between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2016. There were significantly lower odds of long-term opioid use associated with receipt of physical therapy prior to TKR among patients who had not received opioids before (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.75) and also among those who had been given opioids previously (aOR, 0.75).

Nearly 76% of the subjects received outpatient physical therapy within 90 days after surgery. Receiving physical therapy after TKR at any point was tied to a lower likelihood of long-term opioid use among the opioid-experienced patients (aOR, 0.75)… (Medscape)