Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises in Total Knee Arthroplasty Patients

Summary

Rationale: While total knee replacements (TKA) are one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the United States, this procedure can also be very painful. Postoperative mobilization and rehabilitation is vital to a patient's recovery, but inadequate pain control can impede patients' progress. Diaphragmatic breathing is an additional non-pharmacological and non-invasive tool with no adverse effects that could aid in recovery. This will serve as a pilot study for a possible larger controlled trials.

Detailed Description

Study population: Patients (participants) undergoing total knee arthroplasty at Keck USC Hospital at HC3 Study methodology: Patients (participants) will be taught with the aide of a handout and instructional videos preoperatively and in the recovery room on how to perform diaphragmatic breathing exercises for post-operative pain control. Patient (participant) pain levels will be assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS). The investigators will then be comparing VAS scores and daily opioid doses (morphine equivalents) between the study group and a control group. The control group will include prior patients (participants) over the past year who underwent TKA at Keck Hospital and also had pain scores and opioid usage measured, but did not receive the breathing treatment. Study endpoints: Endpoints will include: pain levels via VAS scale, anxiety levels via VAS scale, and opioid usage (morphine equivalents).

Eligibility Criteria

Interventions