Effects of Different Relaxation Therapies on Pain and Sleep in Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Patients

January 22, 2026 updated by: Meltem Soydan, Bartın Unıversity

Comparison of the Effects of Virtual Reality-based and Traditional Relaxation Therapy on Postoperative Pain and Sleep Quality in Patients Undergoing Hip and Knee Replacement Surgery

Hip and knee replacement surgery is commonly performed in older adults. After surgery, many patients experience pain, limited movement, and sleep problems. These difficulties can make daily activities such as walking or climbing stairs more challenging and may reduce quality of life during recovery.

Relaxation exercises are often used to help reduce pain and improve sleep after surgery. Virtual reality (VR) is a technology that provides a multisensory experience and may help people relax by shifting their attention away from pain and discomfort.

This study is designed to compare two different relaxation approaches used after hip and knee replacement surgery. One group of patients will perform relaxation exercises using virtual reality, while another group will perform traditional relaxation exercises. The study will examine pain levels and sleep quality in both groups.

The results of this study may help to better understand whether virtual reality-based relaxation can be used as an alternative or supportive method for managing pain and sleep problems after joint replacement surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

82

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Center
      • Bartın, Center, Turkey (Türkiye), 74100
        • Recruiting
        • Bartın State Hospital
        • 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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Those who volunteered to participate in the research,
  • 18 years and older,
  • No diagnosed mental or sleep problems, epilepsy, or depression,
  • No vision, hearing, or speech problems,
  • Those who speak Turkish,
  • Knee and hip replacement surgery ,
  • No active nausea or vomiting prior to the virtual reality application,
  • According to the Numerical Rating Scale, the patient reports pain.
  • Those receiving analgesia treatment according to clinical protocol,
  • Anyone who owns a mobile phone or tablet capable of playing videos, using any brand of internet provider,
  • Patients who had not previously practiced breathing exercises were included .

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having a problem that prevents communication,

  • Being admitted to the ward where the surgery and study were performed at another center,

    . Complications develop after knee and hip replacement surgery,

  • Nausea and vomiting may occur during the procedure.
  • Wanting to withdraw from the research,
  • Experiencing chronic pain.

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Virtual Reality-Based Relaxation Group
Participants receive relaxation exercises delivered through virtual reality technology following hip and knee replacement surgery. The intervention is provided during the postoperative period in addition to standard care.
Behavioral: Virtual Reality-Based Relaxation
Relaxation exercises delivered through virtual reality technology during the postoperative period following hip and knee replacement surgery.
Active Comparator: Traditional Relaxation Therapy Group
Participants receive traditional relaxation exercises without virtual reality following hip and knee replacement surgery. The intervention is provided during the postoperative period in addition to standard care.
Behavioral: Traditional Relaxation Therapy
Standard relaxation exercises performed without virtual reality during the postoperative period following hip and knee replacement surgery.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postoperative Pain Intensity
Time Frame: Postoperative three days period
Pain intensity will be assessed using Numerical Rating Scale (0-10 points) in patients undergoing hip and knee replacement surgery. 0 represents no pain and 10 represents the most severe pain.
Postoperative three days period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Sleep Quality
Time Frame: Postoperative three days period
Sleep quality will be evaluated using Richards Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (0-100 points) during the postoperative period.The scale uses a score range of "0-25" to indicate very poor sleep and a score range of "76-100" to indicate very good sleep. The total score is evaluated based on 5 items; item 6, which assesses the noise level in the environment, is excluded from the total score evaluation. As the score obtained from the questionnaire increases, it is interpreted that the patients' sleep quality has improved.
Postoperative three days period

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Bartın Unıversity

Investigators

  • Study Director: Sevim Çelik, Professor, Bartin University Health Science Faculty

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)

November 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 15, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 23, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 15, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 21, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 22, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • BartınU-SBF-MS-01

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.

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