Could a short steroid course ease pain after knee surgery?
NCT ID NCT05097976
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jul 10, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether a short course of the steroid methylprednisolone, taken as pills after knee replacement surgery, can reduce pain, opioid use, and nausea. About 420 adults having knee replacement for osteoarthritis will receive either the steroid or a placebo. The goal is to see if this simple addition to standard pain management improves recovery in the first week and beyond.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- methylprednisolone (a steroid anti-inflammatory drug)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple way to improve recovery and reduce opioid use after knee replacement surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a phase 4 trial, but steroids have known risks like infection or blood sugar changes. The benefit may be small or not apply to all patients.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
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About 420 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2022
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Any patient undergoing primary TKA with a diagnosis of osteoarthritis •≥ 18 years old * Willingness to undergo randomization Exclusion Criteria: * Reported chronic corticosteroid or opiate use * Suspected or confirmed periprosthetic joint infection * Revision TKA * Primary diagnosis other than osteoarthritis, including avascular necrosis, fracture, or post-traumatic arthritis * American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score ≥ 4 * Reported history of liver disease, renal disease, or diabetes mellitus * Current systemic fungal infection or other local infection * Immunocompromised or immunosuppressed * Current peptic ulcer disease * History of hypothyroidism, psychosis, heart failure, myasthenia gravis, ocular herpes simplex virus, or systemic sclerosis * Women with reported current pregnancy * Known hypersensitivity to methylprednisolone •≤ 18 years old * Inability to take oral medications * Unable to provide consent
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Rush Oak Brook Outpatient Center
RECRUITINGOak Brook, Illinois, 60523, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- What do knee replacement patients really need to know? a study asks them
- Prepping the knee before surgery: a new approach to better recovery
- Can your own cells ease osteoarthritis pain?
- Can your own bone marrow beat steroids for knee pain?
- Which nerve drug wins the battle against Post-Surgical knee pain?
- Can a single steroid dose transform knee replacement recovery?