Conditioning with an open-label placebo (COLP) may serve as a promising adjuvant analgesic therapy to lower opioid intake in the early postoperative period, without elevating pain. 

A randomized controlled trial was carried to assess whether combining COLP in the immediate postoperative period could lower daily opioid usage and post-surgical pain in subjects recovering from spine surgery.

Participants were randomly assigned either to COLP cohort or treatment as usual (TAU) cohort. Both the cohorts were given unimpeded access to a typical opioid-based post surgery analgesic therapy. To determine the therapeutic impact of COLP on daily opioid intake and pain during the post surgery period from post-surgery day (POD) 1 to POD 17, the generalized estimating equations method was utilized. 

Participants in the COLP arm consumed about 30% less daily morphine mg equivalents in comparison with participants in the TAU arm during POD 1-17 (-14.5 daily morphine mg equivalents). Daily worst pain scores were also reduced in the COLP cohort (-1.0 point on the 10-point scale). However, a vital difference was not witnessed in the average daily pain between the arms (-0.8 point).  

In individuals recovering from spine surgery, COLP may serve as a vital adjuvant analgesic therapy to minimize intake of opioids in the early post-surgery period, without increasing pain.