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WEDNESDAY, Aug. 16, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Alternative drug-free interventions to manage pain, including acupuncture and electrotherapy, may help reduce the need for prescription painkillers after knee replacement surgery, a new review suggests.
"As prescription opioid use is under national scrutiny and because surgery has been identified as an avenue for addiction, it is important to recognize effective alternatives to standard pharmacological therapy, which remains the first option for treatment," the study team wrote.
The finding stems from an in-depth look at 39 already-completed studies. These studies included nearly 2,400 total knee replacement patients.
The studies looked at a number of different alternative treatments, including acupuncture and electrotherapy (the use of electrical energy to stimulate nerves and muscles).
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