NCT07070882

Oral Steroid Taper After Total Knee Arthroplasty

Effectiveness of an Oral Methylprednisolone Taper Following Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 1
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 130 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Columbia University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an oral methylprednisolone taper in reducing postoperative pain, opioid consumption, and nausea following primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Detailed description

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an oral methylprednisolone taper in reducing postoperative pain, opioid consumption, and nausea following primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). While intravenous (IV) corticosteroids have been shown to provide short-term pain relief in the immediate postoperative period, their effects are limited to the first 24 hours. Given the inflammatory nature of TKA recovery, extending steroid administration through an oral taper may provide additional benefits in pain control, opioid reduction, and functional recovery. This study will assess whether adding an oral steroid taper to standard multimodal pain management improves clinical outcomes in TKA patients.This prospective, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial will enroll adults aged 18 and older undergoing primary TKA for osteoarthritis at Columbia University Medical Center.

Conditions

• Osteoarthritis, Knee

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Methylprednisolone	Patients will receive a tapered dose of methylprednisolone with the standard of care pain management

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-06-20
• Primary completion: 2026-06-20
• Completion: 2027-06-20
• First posted: 2025-07-17
• Last updated: 2025-07-17

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated drug study