Jin Y, et al. - Through an observational cohort study conducted among Medicare enrollees aged ≥65 years who underwent total joint replacement (TJR) between 2010 and 2014 (n=155,516 for total hip replacement and n=318,265 for total knee replacement), the experts assessed the patterns of prescription opioid use before TJR and factors associated with continuous use of opioids prior to TJR. In the 12-months before surgery, over 60% ever used opioids and 12.4% of them regularly consumed opioids were recognized. The use of high-dose opioids hiked near the surgery. A strong association of history of drug abuse, back pain, and African American race with the continuous opioids consumption preoperatively was ascertained. Hence, to conclude the short-term and long-term risks of use of the opioids before the operation in TJR patients in order to optimize pre- and post-TJR pain management of patients with arthritis, further studies are suggested.