ANALGESIC EFFICACY POST MAJOR ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY – A COMPARATIVE STUDY: DICLOFENAC VS TRAMADOL

Post-operative pain management is a major concern in orthopaedic surgery. Every surgeon has a post-op pain management protocol, though the ideal regimen or combo was always a debate. NSAIDs and Opioids occupy the majority in pain management regimen. In this study, the analgesic efficacy of Tramadol hydrochloride (Opioid) and Diclofenac sodium (NSAID) in patients undergoing a major orthopedic surgery was investigated and compared. A total of 50 randomly selected preoperatively and were grouped into receiving either one of the drug. Postoperative pain was evaluated by using a visual analogue scale (VAS) assessing at 6,12,18,24,32,40,48,56,64,72,80,88,96,104,112,120 hours post-surgery. Tramadol hydrochloride showed significance in the early postoperative period(<40 hours) but later anti- inflammatory action of Diclofenac sodium indicates to be an enhanced analgesic (64 to 104 hours). However, no significance was noted in VAS score after 104 hours post-surgery.