Guided imagery trial finds mixed recovery results after knee replacement
The abstract reports lower pain at selected follow-ups and improvement on one function measure, with other function and anxiety results inconclusive.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Adding guided imagery to usual postoperative care was associated with lower pain at selected follow-ups and better function on one questionnaire. Another function questionnaire and an anxiety measure showed no statistically significant differences between groups. The findings support changes on specific measures while leaving the size of meaningful recovery benefits, and any effect on anxiety, uncertain.
The abstract does not explain losses to follow-up or clearly distinguish randomized from analyzed group sizes. It also omits pain-scale ranges, thresholds for meaningful improvement and confidence intervals for the reported pain differences.
What researchers found
Pain intensity ratings (NPRS)
Guided imagery plus standard care versus standard care alone at postoperative weeks 2 and 5; differences were statistically significant.
How recovery was tracked
Participants received brief audio guidance in addition to standard postoperative care. Researchers assessed pain, physical function and anxiety before surgery and repeatedly afterward, enabling comparisons as recovery progressed rather than relying on a single assessment.
Why the measures matter
Function scores favored guided imagery on NFRS, but group differences were not statistically significant on WOMAC or the STAI anxiety measure. Nonsignificant results leave uncertainty about possible effects; they do not demonstrate equivalence between treatments.
The original publication
Effect of Brief Guided Imagery on Short-Term Outcomes in Patients Undergoing First Elective Total Knee Arthroplasty: Randomized Controlled Trial.
Kaplun A, Lubovsky O, Prosso I et al.
Int J Environ Res Public Health · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41899716
- Record checked
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