Pain management
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Aim: We studied changes in opioid prescriptions and corticosteroid injection use for knee osteoarthritis patients before and after intra-articular hyaluronic acid (HA) use and opioid prescriptions before and after knee arthroplasty (KA). Materials & methods: A total of 1,017,578 knee osteoarthritis members were ascertained from a commercial claims database (Health Intelligence Company LLC, IL, USA) using ICD9/ICD10 diagnosis codes. ⋯ Two-thirds of KA patients filled opioid prescriptions within 6 months postsurgery, with 78% of opioid users continuing fills and 62% of nonusers initiating use. Conclusion: Alternative therapies, such as HA, that reduce opioid use may alleviate opioid addiction risks for KA patients who use opioids in the pre- and postoperative periods.