According to a report by the American Joint Replacement Registry, there were 860,000 hip and knee replacement surgeries in 2017. That means by the end of 2018, we will be over the 1 million mark in the United States. Thousands of these orthopedic surgeries are performed yearly within the Veterans Affairs. Patients are offered surgery as an option for pain relief and improved function. Chronic post-surgical pain is a common and debilitating problem that occurs in 5% to 85% of patients following surgery, and it is highly correlated with prolonged opioid use. Veterans are particularly at high risk for developing chronic post-surgical pain due to their higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. Clinical psychologist and research health scientist Dr. Lilian Dindo talks about how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can be used to prevent chronic post-surgical pain and opioid use in at-risk veterans. Dr. Lindo explains why chronic post-surgical pain develops, who's at-risk for developing it, why veterans have an increased risk, how we can intervene early and prevent this pain, and how a one-day intervention using ACT shows great promise in preventing chronic post-surgical pain.
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