Investigators found electrotherapy and acupuncture after total knee arthroplasty correlated with a decrease in and later use of opioids.

Researchers performed a systematic review and found 5,509 studies of nonpharmacological interventions for postoperative pain following total knee arthroplasty. Of these studies, 39 randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analysis. Data from the articles were assessed by two reviewers for risk of bias. The main outcomes evaluated were postoperative pain and consumption of opioids and analgesics.