Binaural Beats for Postoperative Pain and Anxiety Reduction

April 29, 2026 updated by: Victor Hugo Hernandez, University of Miami

Binaural Beats vs Music of Choice for Early Postoperative Pain After Ambulatory Total Knee and Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial

To deliver a 30-minute binaural beats audio intervention in PACU and collect pain and anxiety outcomes immediately following surgery, and 4 hours following surgery completion in adults undergoing ambulatory total knee arthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty (TKA and THA).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
50

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Florida
      • Miami, Florida, United States, 33132
        • Recruiting
        • Univeristy of Miami Health System
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Victor H Hernandez, MD
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification System (ASA) 1-3
  • Spinal anesthesia
  • Patients receiving nerve-block in Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)
  • Primary total hip or total knee arthroplasty

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Moderate-severe hearing impairment or use of hearing aids
  • History of significant tinnitus, active delirium, chronic high-dose opioid therapy (>60 MME/day baseline)
  • Major psychiatric pathology
  • General anesthesia

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Binaural Beats (BB)
Participants assigned to this arm will listen to a 30-minute binaural beats audio session at a comfortable volume through standardized over-ear headphones while in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). The audio will use a primary target frequency of 10 Hz (alpha range), created using soft sine-wave carriers in the 200-600 Hz range that generate a 10 Hz interaural difference (e.g., 400 Hz left ear / 410 Hz right ear). Volume will be set at a comfortable conversational level (~55-65 dBA) and may be adjusted by the participant. The session will begin within 15 minutes of PACU arrival. Participants may stop the audio at any time.
Other: Binaural Beats Audio Intervention
30-minute binaural beats audio session targeting 400 and 410 hertz (Hz) alpha 400 hertz (Hz) in one ear 410 hertz (Hz) in other ear frequency delivered through standardized headphones in the PACU.
Active Comparator: Music of Choice (MOC)
Participants in this arm will receive usual postoperative care in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and may listen to music of their choice using standardized headphones. They will select their preferred music and listen for 30 minutes at a comfortable volume (~55-65 dBA), which they may adjust as needed. No binaural beat frequencies will be used. Music listening is optional and may be stopped at any time.
Other: Music of Choice
Usual postoperative care in addition to patient-selected music using standardized headphones

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Pain Score Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-operative) to 4 hours post-operation.
Pain intensity will be measured using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), a validated 0-10 scale where 0 = no pain and 10 = worst imaginable pain. Change will be calculated as the difference between the pre-operative NPRS score and the NPRS score obtained 4 hours after surgery. Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity.
Baseline (pre-operative) to 4 hours post-operation.
Change in Anxiety Score State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S)
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-operative) to 4 hours post-operation.
Anxiety will be measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - State Subscale (STAI-S). The STAI-S consists of 20 items scored from 1 to 4, producing a total score range of 20-80, with higher scores indicating greater state anxiety. Change will be calculated as the difference between the pre-operative STAI-S score and the STAI-S score obtained 4 hours after surgery.
Baseline (pre-operative) to 4 hours post-operation.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Total Opioid Consumption in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) (MME)
Time Frame: From PACU arrival (time 0) until PACU discharge (typically 1-4 hours post-operation)
Total opioid use administered during the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) stay will be recorded, including all intravenous and oral opioid medications. All doses will be converted to morphine milligram equivalents (MME) using standard Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conversion factors. Unit of Measure: Morphine milligram equivalents (MME)
From PACU arrival (time 0) until PACU discharge (typically 1-4 hours post-operation)
Postoperative Vital Signs Heart Rate
Time Frame: Every 30 minutes from PACU arrival until PACU discharge (approximately 1-4 hours post-operation).
Heart rate (beats per minute) recorded at fixed 30-minute intervals during PACU recovery. Values will be abstracted from the electronic medical record.
Every 30 minutes from PACU arrival until PACU discharge (approximately 1-4 hours post-operation).
Patient Satisfaction Score
Time Frame: Measured once during the PACU stay, at the earliest feasible time point up to 4 hours post-operation
Patient satisfaction with the postoperative experience will be measured using a 5-point Likert scale, where 1 = very dissatisfied and 5 = very satisfied. Unit of Measure: Likert score (1-5)
Measured once during the PACU stay, at the earliest feasible time point up to 4 hours post-operation
Postoperative Vital Signs Blood Pressure
Time Frame: Every 30 minutes from PACU arrival until PACU discharge (approximately 1-4 hours post-operation).
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (millimeters of mercury) recorded at fixed 30-minute intervals during PACU recovery. Values will be abstracted from the electronic medical record.
Every 30 minutes from PACU arrival until PACU discharge (approximately 1-4 hours post-operation).
Postoperative Vital Signs Respiratory Rate
Time Frame: Every 30 minutes from PACU arrival until PACU discharge (approximately 1-4 hours post-operation).
Respiratory rate (breaths per minute) recorded at fixed 30-minute intervals during PACU recovery. Values will be abstracted from the electronic medical record.
Every 30 minutes from PACU arrival until PACU discharge (approximately 1-4 hours post-operation).

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Miami

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Victor H Hernandez, MD, MSc, University of Miami

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 9, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 18, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 23, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 30, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 29, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 20251389

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Anxiety

Clinical Trials on Binaural Beats Audio Intervention

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings