Testing a 4-Session Savoring Meditation Program to Reduce Pain and Improve Recovery After Knee Replacement Surgery for Osteoarthritis

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating a positive affect enhancing intervention called Savoring Meditation to reduce pain and improve reward system function in patients with knee osteoarthritis undergoing total knee arthroplasty TKA. The study aims to compare this approach with Pain Self-Management and Education PSME to address persistent pain and psychological distress after surgery. The trial focuses on psychosocial factors influencing recovery and tests a novel meditation practice combined with pain neuroscience education to improve outcomes. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups Savoring Meditation or Pain Self-Management and Education. Each group will receive four remote, one-on-one sessions lasting 20-30 minutes. The Savoring Meditation group will learn to generate positive emotions through meditation and understand the brains reward system related to pain, while the PSME group will learn about biological, psychological, and social contributors to chronic pain. Participants are encouraged to practice meditation daily after surgery and to use it as a tool for pain management. During the study, participants will complete questionnaires and weeklong ecological momentary assessments at baseline, after surgery, and at a 3-month follow-up. Laboratory sessions at baseline and 6 weeks post-surgery will measure brain activity and pain modulation. Researchers will assess clinical pain levels, opioid use, joint function, and positive affect. The study will monitor participants for up to 3 months to evaluate the impact of the interventions on pain and recovery after TKA.

Optimizing Pain Self-Management in Total Knee Arthroplasty