Role of anti-oxidant (vitamin-C) in post-operative pain relief in foot and ankle trauma surgery: A prospective randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Post-operative pain may adversely affect a patient's quality of life. Studies have shown that vitamin C, being an anti-oxidant and neuro-modulating agent, can help to reduce pain in a variety of clinical settings. The objective of this randomized controlled trial was to assess the effectiveness of vitamin C in reducing post-operative pain, analgesia requirements and improving functional outcome.

METHODS: Patients with isolated foot and ankle trauma, who had undergone surgery, were randomly assigned to receive either vitamin C 500mg or a placebo tablet twice a day. VAS score, analgesia requirement and functional outcome were assessed during their regular follow up. Results were compared and analyzed at the end of 3 months.

RESULTS: The group which received vitamin C, showed improvement in VAS score at the end of second and sixth week of follow up, reduced analgesia requirements and improved functional outcome as compared to the placebo group.

CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the supplementation of vitamin C in patients undergoing surgery for foot and ankle trauma helps to reduce analgesic requirements, improve VAS scores and achieve better functional outcome.