Role of eperisone as an oral analgesic adjunct after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair

Background: Inadequate pain relief during the early post-operative stages following arthroscopic shoulder procedures may lead to patients having poor functional and satisfaction outcomes. The goal of our study is to evaluate the effect of Eperisone in patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, with regards to post-operative pain and functional outcomes. Methods: All patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair between January to September 2022 were assessed. Patients eligible for the prospective study were separated based on their analgesia regimes. Group 1 received baseline analgesia (Paracetamol and Arcoxia). Group 2 patients had Eperisone prescribed as an additional adjunct. For breakthrough pain, oral tramadol was administered. Outcome measures inclusive of: Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain score, morphine milligram equivalent (MME) values, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder score and range of motion measurements were collated. Results: 40 patients were included in our study, of which 17 patients were in group 1 and 23 patients were in Eperisone group. There were no statistical difference in pain scores, UCLA scores and ROM in the first six weeks following surgery, between the control group and Eperisone group. The average amount of breakthrough opioid usage based on MME were slightly lower in the Eperisone group in the first two weeks, however this was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Addition of muscle relaxants such as Eperisone to post-operative analgesia regime did not significantly lead to improvement of pain scores or early functional outcome, in patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. However, Eperisone could still be offered on a case-by-case basis.