Scientific Literature Overview
Musculoskeletal Pain
Nonpharmacologic Pain Management and Muscle Strengthening following Total Knee
Arthroplasty.
Authors Chughtai M, Elmallah RD, Mistry JB, Bhave A, Cherian JJ, McGinn TL, Harwin SF, Mont
MA
Published J Knee Surg. 2016 Apr;29(3):194-200.
Date Apr 2016
Place of
origin
Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopaedics, Center for Joint Preservation and
Replacement, Baltimore, Maryland.
Background Despite technological advances in total knee arthroplasty (TKA), management of
postoperative muscle weakness and pain continue to pose challenges for both
patients and health care providers. Nonpharmacologic therapies, such as
neuromodulation in the form of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and
transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and other modalities, such as
cryotherapy and prehabilitation, have been highlighted as possible adjuncts to
standard-of-care pharmacologic management to treat postoperative pain and
muscle weakness.
Objective To evaluate the use of nonpharmacologic modalities for the management of pain
and muscle weakness following TKA.
Specifically, the authors addressed the use of:
Prehabilitation
NMES
Bracing and SAFTE exercises
TENS
Cooling and compression