Mindfulness, cognitive processes and coping in chronic illness: a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effect of mindfulness training prior to total joint arthroplasty on post-operative pain and physical function

The main purpose of this study was to determine if participating in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program improved patient pain, function and psychological wellbeing following hip or knee joint replacement surgery. To answer this question, researchers compared two groups of patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis, with 127 patients randomly allocated to either a ‘test group’ or ‘control group’: • Test group: 65 patients completed an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction course prior to joint replacement. • Control group: 62 were provided with the usual standard of care for patients undergoing joint replacement surgery. Patients in both groups completed questionnaires that measured their pain, function and psychological well-being on 3 occasions: before surgery, at 3-months after surgery and again at 12-months after surgery. MAIN RESULTS Patients in the test group who completed the mindfulness training had greater improvements in pain and function 12-months after their surgery compared to the treatment as usual group. Another finding was that a higher proportion of patients who underwent the mindfulness training decided to not proceed with surgery based on symptom improvement.