Can we skip the opioids after wrist surgery? new study tests safer pain control
NCT ID NCT05215236
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether using only non-opiate pain medications works as well as standard opiates after wrist fracture repair surgery. Seventy-two adults who had surgery for a broken wrist were randomly assigned to receive either non-opiate pain relievers or opiate-based painkillers. Researchers measured how much pain medication patients used and their pain levels to see if the opiate-sparing approach could effectively manage pain while reducing opioid use.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- non-opiate pain medications
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that non-opiate pain control works as well as opiates after wrist surgery, potentially reducing opioid prescriptions.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed trial with only 72 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Pain relief might be less effective without opiates for some patients.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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72 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2022
- Finished
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Jun 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 85 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Open reduction internal fixation surgery at Campbell Clinic Surgery Center * Body Mass Index less than or equal to 45 * Fluent in verbal and written English Exclusion Criteria: * Known sensitivity to medications in either protocol * Renal disease by medical history * Concomitant ipsilateral upper extremity injury or condition other than wrist * Chronic pain syndrome * Consumption of ten consecutive day so opioid use in the previous 90 days * Worker's compensation * Women who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding * Takes either angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blockers for hypertension
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Campbell Clinic
Germantown, Tennessee, 38138, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Hand therapy showdown: which technique restores wrist function faster?
- Wrist fracture recovery: fear may slow you down