Is intraoperative corticosteroid a good choice for postoperative pain relief in total joint arthroplasty? A meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND: Effective postoperative analgesia is of great significance for postoperative rehabilitation. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the efficacy of corticosteroid on pain following total joint arthroplasty. METHOD: PubMed (1996–December 2020), Embase (1996–December 2020), and the Cochrane Library (CENTRAL, December 2020) were searched and a total of 11 randomized controlled trials met our inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Eleven randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. Pooled data indicated the corticosteroid group was effective compared to the control group in terms of the visual analogue scale at rest (P < .05) and movement (P < .05), the total morphine equivalent consumption (P < .05), and the length of stay (P < .05), without increasing the risk of periprosthetic joint infection (P = .74) and the length of stay (P = .32). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the control group, intraoperative corticosteroid was benefit to the pain management in total joint arthroplasty.