Effect of Emotional Freedom Technique on Postoperative Pain and Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Total Knee Replacement

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of the Emotional Freedom Technique on pain and anxiety in the postoperative period of patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty.

Research Hypotheses H1: Emotional freedom technique reduces postoperative pain level in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

H2: Emotional freedom technique reduces postoperative anxiety level in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Total Knee Arthroplasty
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

Detailed Description

One day before the surgery the patients in both groups will interviewed and the Patient Descriptive Data Form, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) Pain, and State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) will applied. Then, information will given to the experimental group about EFT and the patients' questions will answered. On the first postoperative day between 18.00 and 20.00 the patients in both groups will interviewed to collect the pretest data and VAS Pain, SAI, and Subjective Unit of Experience Scale (SUE) will applied. Then, the EFT steps will explained and demonstrated to the experimental group and a session of EFT will applied. After the EFT, the SUE Scale will re-evaluated without any break. On the second postoperative day between 18.00 and 20.00 the patients in both groups will interviewed again, and the SUE Scale will evaluated. Then, a session of the EFT will applied to the experimental group. After the EFT, VAS Pain, SAI, and SUE will re-applied without any break for post-test data. In the control group VAS Pain, SAI, and SUE will re-applied for post-test data on the second postoperative day between 18.00 and 20.00.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 80
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Yakutiye
    • Erzurum, Yakutiye, Turkey (Türkiye), 25240
      • Ataturk University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Study Population

All patients aged 18 and over, who will undergo planned total knee replacement surgery, who are willing to participate in the study and who meet the inclusion criteria, will be included in the study.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Elective patients undergoing total knee replacement surgery for the first time,
2. Volunteer to participate in the research,
3. 18 years and over,
4. Cognitive level scales are suitable for application,
5. Having no vision, hearing, or speech problems that would prevent communication,
6. Patients who do not have any other disease causing pain and anxiety

Exclusion Criteria:

1. EFT was applied before,
2. If any complication develops within 3 days before, during, or after the operation,
3. Patients with health problems (fever, infection, deep vein thrombosis, etc.) that prevent the application of the Emotional Freedom Technique were not included in the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental group; EFT will applied to the patients in the experimental group on the 1st and 2nd days after surgery.	Other: Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT); EFT is an energy psychology intervention that utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and acupuncture points to create psychological and physical changes in individuals. It is also referred to as "acupuncture without needles" or an emotional form of acupressure.
No Intervention: Control Group; Patients in the control group will received no treatment other than the clinic's routine patient care.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
anxiety level	On the postoperative 1st day and 2nd day, patient's anxiety status will evaluated with State Anxiety Inventory (SAI)	Post-operative 1st and 2nd day
pain level	On the postoperative 1st day and 2nd day, patient's pain status will evaluated with Visual Analog Scale (VAS).	Post-operative 1st and 2nd day

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ataturk University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Dilek Gürçayır, Ataturk Univesity; Principal Investigator: Dilek Gürçayır, Ataturk University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 7, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 15, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): January 2, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 13, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 13, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): September 15, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 12, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 5, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pain; Anxiety; Emotional Freedom Technique; Total Knee Replacement
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Mental Disorders; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Pain; Anxiety Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: ATAUNIYLTEZTANRIVER-001

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