Clinical drug investigation
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Capsaicin instillation for postoperative pain following total knee arthroplasty: a preliminary report of a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial.
Pain following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) interferes with rehabilitation. Capsaicin applied in high concentration to nociceptors can cause relatively selective C-fibre desensitization for a period of weeks to months. Resultant long-lasting analgesia might facilitate rehabilitation. ⋯ Despite having higher BMIs, patients in the capsaicin group achieved comparable or better pain scores with significantly less opioid use in the first 3 postoperative days. They also had less pruritus, which may have been a consequence of the opioid-sparing effect. The effects of capsaicin with respect to function, however, appeared to be longer lasting, with improved active ROM reported at 14 days.