Lowering oxidative stress around knee replacement to reduce long-term pain

Reducing Perioperative Oxidative Stress to Prevent Postoperative Chronic Pain Following Total Knee Arthroplasty

NIH-funded research Vanderbilt University Medical Center · NIH-11171771

This trial gives an antioxidant medicine around the time of knee replacement to help reduce long-term pain for people having total knee arthroplasty.

Quick facts

Grant typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionVanderbilt University Medical Center NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Nashville, United States)
Project IDNIH-11171771 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You would be randomly assigned to receive an antioxidant medicine or a placebo before and during your knee replacement surgery. Researchers will collect blood samples to measure oxidative stress markers and track pain and function before surgery and for months afterward. The trial compares long-term pain levels and recovery between the antioxidant and placebo groups. The goal is to see whether lowering oxidative stress around surgery leads to less chronic pain and better function after TKA.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults scheduled for primary total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis who can attend surgery and follow-up visits at the study center.

Not a fit: People not undergoing primary elective knee replacement, those with conditions that make antioxidant treatment unsafe, or those unable to attend follow-up visits are unlikely to benefit from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lower the chance of persistent pain after knee replacement and improve recovery and quality of life for patients.

How similar studies have performed: Earlier observational work linked higher perioperative oxidative stress to worse post-TKA pain, but this is the first randomized placebo-controlled trial testing perioperative antioxidant treatment.

Where this research is happening

Nashville, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.