As part of a national drive to reduce narcotic painkillers' use, surgeons are using rotator-cuff repairs to experiment on more novel approaches to pain management, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Here are five things to know:
1. A few of the non-addictive painkilling techniques rotator-cuff surgery is using include injecting a non-addictive anesthetic at the base of the neck to block pain signals or sending a patient home with a catheter implanted under the skin to deliver doses of anesthetics for several days.
2. A July 2015 study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found one in four people who were prescribed a narcotic painkiller for the first time progressed to long-term prescriptions, putting them at risk for dependence and dangerous side effects.
3. The infections may have anesthetic leakage, which may damage nerves as well as can be toxic to cartilage.
4. A Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery study reported a group sent home with a three-day continuous nerve block had better pain control, used fewer opioids and slept better than patients given a single injection at the time of surgery.
5. According to the Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, nearly two million patients a year seek help for rotator-cuff injuries, and about a third of those require surgery.