Postoperative Knee Strength Following Total Knee Replacement: A Double-Blinded Randomized Comparison Study
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2012-03-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Major surgery involving the knee is often associated with severe postoperative pain.
Postoperative pain control remains a significant contributor to delayed recovery and length
of hospital stay. Approaches to minimize postoperative pain after surgery are a matter of
major concern due to the need for early mobilization, a crucial factor in good postoperative
rehabilitation. Femoral nerve blocks by either continuous infusion or single injection of
anesthetics provide an effective method for analgesia while minimizing the need for systemic
opioid therapy, reducing the opioid induced side effects, and facilitating early ambulation.
Administration of fentanyl has shown to be a highly effective method to control pain after
Total Knee Replacement (TKR). The investigators hypothesize that fentanyl infusions will
result in greater post-operative strength in the operative knee.