Essential Amino Acids and Knee Replacement Surgery

As I continue my research into increasing muscle mass for Aging with a Vengeance, I came across some information that I think is important for anybody who’s undergoing knee replacement surgery, and perhaps, any type of joint surgery. I’m going to review two studies and explain why using essential amino acids (EAAs) before and after surgery is a good idea.

Researchers recruited 60 patients who were undergoing total knee replacement as a result of having osteo-arthritis; 30 subjects were randomly assigned to the experimental group and 30 to the placebo group. The patients in the EAAs group received nine grams of EAAs every day while the placebo group received an identical-looking placebo.

The researchers assessed the total area of the rectus femoris muscle via ultrasound one month before surgery and then again weekly for two weeks after surgery. They also assessed pain via the VAS scale (the one that starts with a smiley face and ends in crying; I have a more detailed one on the Health Info page at drchet.com). They found that the mean change in the size of the rectus femoris muscle for the EAAs group was 116% compared to before surgery; those in the placebo group were at 97% indicating muscle loss after surgery. Measuring pain, the EAAs group was lower on average than the placebo group, 39% to 56%, four weeks after surgery.

The results indicate that the subjects taking the EAAs were better prepared to rehabilitate their leg and perhaps decrease recovery time. The question is how do EAAs help? Another study gives us some answers, and I’ll cover that on Saturday.

You can still purchase the Aging with a Vengeance webinar to find out more about EAAs.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(6 Supple A):10-18.