An article published in the Rush Orthopedics Journal examined how multimodal analgesia can reduce opioid use during spine surgery.
Here are the key insights to know:
1. Physicians have used MMA protocols for providing pain relief through incorporating non-opioid treatment modalities.
2. MMA protocols for spinal surgery include modulation of nociceptive, neuropathic and inflammatory pain signals at different sites in the nervous system.
3. By using agents that decrease pain through different mechanisms, MMA can offer synergistic analgesia, providing a greater effect than any single agent.
4. At Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center, surgeons and anesthesiologists created a standard MMA protocol for spinal fusion patients. The protocol includes preoperative counseling and evaluating preemptive pain satisfaction before surgery.
5. At the center, patients who received MMA consumed fewer opioids than those who did not receive MMA.