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Knee Arthroplasty Recovery With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

NCT07351578 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 70

Last updated 2026-01-20

No results posted yet for this study

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.

Conditions

  • Knee Arthroplasty
  • Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
  • Pain, Postoperative

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.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • AFP Innovation Fund

    collaborator OTHER

  • University Health Network, Toronto

    collaborator OTHER

  • Women's College Hospital

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Karim Ladha, MD, FRCPC · Women's College Hospital

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-05-31
Primary Completion
2027-05-31
Completion
2027-12-31

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07351578 on ClinicalTrials.gov