Gut Microbiome in Orthopaedics

Plain-language summary

Patients having knee replacement surgery regularly experience joint pain and compromised bone quality leading to implant loosening and periprosthetic fractures. The role of the gut microbiome, which is the collection of bacteria and other microbes within the human gastrointestinal tract, is just beginning to be recognized, including its potential effects on pain, infection, and loosening after total joint replacement. Antibiotics are regularly used in orthopaedic surgery to reduce the risk of infection, but they also harm gut microbiota and reduce their potentially beneficial effects. Probiotics may have a role to play in enhancing bone quality and decreasing synovial inflammation after joint replacement surgery, and this study will explore the potential relationship of probiotic use with implant migration, bone density, and patient outcomes. This study is a randomized, controlled, double-blinded trial comparing probiotic use with placebo in post-menopausal women undergoing primary total knee replacement. The main questions it aims to answer are: * to compare implant migration between groups from baseline to six weeks post-surgery * to compare bone density and joint inflammation between groups from baseline to six weeks post-surgery * to compare gut microbiome composition and patient-reported outcome measures between groups from baseline to six weeks post-surgery

Who can participate

What they're measuring

Trial details