Perioperative Nonopioid Analgesics of Use in Pain Management for Spine Surgery

Abstract

This chapter examines the developing role of multimodal analgesia in reducing opioid requirements/dependency in the postoperative period while also facilitating the recovery process without the unwanted adverse side effects associated with opioid use. It reviews a number of medications used in a multimodal regimen including NMDA receptor antagonists, α‎2 agonists, dexamethasone, gabapentinoids, acetaminophen, NSAIDs, COX-2 selective inhibitors, caffeine, and lidocaine. This chapter also discusses the evidence and implications for the use of a specific medication and in which perioperative setting its use has been corroborated. This chapter includes relevant tables and is written for qualified specialist attendings, fellows, residents, and nurses as well as all practitioners involved in the treatment of pain following spine surgery.