Knee Arthroplasty Recovery With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Starting soon · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Knee Arthroplasty, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, Pain, Postoperative

In brief

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is widely performed to reduce pain from advanced osteoarthritis, yet many patients experience severe postoperative pain and up to 25-44% develop chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP). Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive neuromodulation technique, has shown promise in reducing pain and opioid use in early studies but has not been evaluated using comprehensive perioperative, home-based protocols. This study will test whether a home-based tDCS intervention delivered before and after TKA can improve acute pain management and reduce the development of CPSP.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07351578

Run by

Women's College Hospital

People needed

70

Starts

2026-05-01

Expected to finish

2027-12-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-01-20

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• 18 years of age or older.
• American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Classification Status I-III.
• Scheduled to undergo unilateral elective primary total knee arthroplasty for advanced osteoarthritis of the knee.
• Access to a device running iOS Version 10.0 or above, or Android Version 5.0 or above that can connect to the internet.

You may not qualify if…

• History of brain surgery, central nervous system tumors, seizures (including epilepsy), stroke or intracranial implants (e.g plates, screws, deep brain stimulators)
• Have vascular, traumatic, infectious, or metabolic lesions or diseases of the brain
• Active diagnosis of a sleep disorder, defined as a documented diagnosis of any of the following conditions within the past 12 months, based on patient history or medical record review:
• Insomnia disorder (e.g., difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, early morning awakening)
• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
• Central sleep apnea
• Narcolepsy
• Restless legs syndrome
• REM sleep behavior disorder
• Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders
• Parasomnias (e.g., sleepwalking, night terrors)
• Active diagnosis of alcohol use disorder, defined as meeting DSM-5 criteria or documented in the patient's medical record within the past 12 months.
• Patients taking opioid medications with a daily Oral Morphine Equivalent (OME) of ≥ 80 mg
• Current use of medications or substances known to alter cortical excitability or possess psychoactive properties (e.g., antiepileptics, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, antipsychotics, hallucinogens, dissociatives), as determined by review of the patient's medication list, chart review, and patient history. This includes prescribed medications and illicit substances used within the past 30 days.
• Have metallic implants or objects in or on the head, including mouth (e.g. electrodes, stents, clips, pins, braces, shrapnel, jewellery (unremovable)
• Use passive or active implanted medical devices (e.g., pacemakers, defibrillators, cochlear implants, natural implants or active body-worn medical devices (e.g., neural stimulation or medication infusion devices)
• Have defects in the neurocranium (e.g., post-skull trepanation)
• Have large vessel occlusions (e.g., complete blockage of the internal carotid artery or other conditions affecting brain perfusion
• Have skin diseases of the scalp
• Are using other brain stimulation devices concurrently
• Are pregnant
• Are unable to provide informed consent
• Are unable to wear or tolerate the study device
• Unable to speak or read English, or understand device operation instructions

Where it is running

• Toronto Western Hospital (UHN) — Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.