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NOT YET RECRUITING
NCT07351578
NA

Knee Arthroplasty Recovery With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Sponsor: Women's College Hospital

View on ClinicalTrials.gov

Summary

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.

Official title: Knee Arthroplasty Recovery With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Key Details

Gender

All

Age Range

18 Years - Any

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Enrollment

70

Start Date

2026-05

Completion Date

2027-12

Last Updated

2026-01-20

Healthy Volunteers

No

Interventions

DEVICE

Active tDCS Stimulation

Participants will have electrodes positioned on their scalp at C3, C4 (primary motor cortices) and Oz (occipital cortex) according to the international 10-20 EEG system. They will receive active transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the primary motor cortex (M1) opposite the surgical site, with the Oz electrode serving as the return. Stimulation will be delivered at 2 mA for 20 minutes, including a 15-second ramp-up at the start and a 15-second ramp-down at the end. The PlatoWork 2.0 tDCS Neurostimulator headset will be used to administer the stimulation.

DEVICE

Sham tDCS Stimulation

Participants will receive sham (inactive) transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) using the PlatoWork 2.0 tDCS Neurostimulator headset at home. The headset is identical to the active device but does not deliver electrical stimulation. This allows for blinding of participants to the intervention condition while maintaining the same study procedures and device usage as the active tDCS group.

Locations (1)

Toronto Western Hospital (UHN)

Toronto, Ontario, Canada