Does Meloxicam Provide as Much Pain Relief as Opioids After Shoulder Surgery?

A Randomized Comparison of Meloxicam to Opioids Following Arthroscopic Labrum Repairs of the Shoulder

Status

UNKNOWN

Phases

Phase 3

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT04725357

Enrollment

Registered

2021-01-26

Start date

2021-01-25

Completion date

2022-01-25

Last updated

2021-01-26

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Shoulder Pain

Brief summary

The opioid epidemic continues to be a major concern, with orthopedic surgeons being among the top prescribers of opioids. Studies evaluating these practices found that opioids are overprescribed, even for common procedures. Patients undergoing arthroscopic labrum repair of the shoulder were found to have an average of 20 pills left over after surgery. Many strategies have been developed to tackle overprescribing and have found success, including no opioid protocols for carpal tunnel release. The purpose of this study is to examine if meloxicam alone provides similar patient reported outcomes to opioids following arthroscopic labrum repair of the shoulder.

Interventions

DRUGMeloxicam 15 mg

Participants will receive a prescription of 20 pills of 15 mg Meloxicam after surgery

PROCEDUREPreoperative Interscalene Nerve Block

Preoperatively participants will standardly receive an interscalene nerve block

PROCEDUREarthroscopic labral repair

participant will have their standard surgical procedure done

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Age ≥ 18 * Scheduled for arthroscopic labrum repair of the shoulder

Exclusion criteria

* History of opioid, acetaminophen, NSAID or local anesthetic allergy or intolerance, or contraindications to these medications. * Currently on long-term preoperative narcotics * Scheduled for revision arthroscopic repairs of the shoulder * Unable/unwilling to consent for enrollment * Unable to complete postoperative surveys * History of chronic pain syndromes (fibromyalgia, chronic diffuse MSK pain, etc) * Patients under the age of 18 * Pregnant or breastfeeding women * Scheduled for concurrent procedures

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Total Analgesic use	14 days	Participants will be given a survey asking about number of pills taken
Postoperative Pain Control	14 days	Measured by the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) pain score daily after surgery

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026