Could cutting a nerve during knee surgery stop chronic pain?
NCT ID NCT04028947
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether cutting a small nerve in the knee during a total knee replacement can reduce long-term pain. 178 adults having their first knee replacement will be randomly assigned to get either the standard surgery or the surgery plus the nerve cut. Researchers will track pain levels for months after surgery to see if the extra step makes a difference.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Prophylactic infrapatellar saphenous neurectomy (a procedure to cut a nerve during knee replacement surgery)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could lead to a simple surgical tweak that reduces long-term knee pain after replacement, improving quality of life for many patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a relatively small, early-stage study. The nerve-cutting procedure may not reduce pain significantly, and could cause numbness or other side effects. Results may not apply to all knee replacement patients.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Mayo Clinic in Florida
Jacksonville, Florida, 32224, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Steroid cocktail may offer better pain control after knee replacement
- Can a steroid cocktail beat the standard nerve block for knee replacement pain?
- Can a pinch of hydromorphone make knee surgery recovery less painful?
- Can the right anesthesia get knee replacement patients moving faster?