Box breathing may ease recovery after knee surgery in seniors

NCT ID NCT07464860

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of Arizona Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jul 07, 2026 · Updated 3 times

Summary

This study tests whether a 5-minute guided breathing technique called box breathing can help older adults (65+) manage stress and recover better after total knee replacement. Thirty-two participants will be randomly assigned to either the breathing exercise or a control activity. The main goal is to see if the breathing program is practical and acceptable, while also checking if it improves pain, anxiety, depression, and overall recovery.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Box breathing (a guided breathing technique)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to help older adults recover better from knee replacement surgery by lowering stress and improving pain, anxiety, and mood.
What could go wrong: This is a very small feasibility study (32 people) that mainly checks if the breathing program is practical. It is not designed to prove it works, so results may not show clear benefits.

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Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 32 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jul 2026

Expected to finish

Nov 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

65 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Adults aged 65 years or older of any sex, gender and ethnic background who meet the following criteria will be eligible to enroll in the present study: Inclusion Criteria: * scheduled for elective TKA within the next week to two months (can be second knee, but cannot be a revision of the original knee) * self-reported good health, including denial of debilitating illness that may affect participation in or be potentially exacerbated by deep, controlled breathing (i.e., chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder \[COPD\], symptomatic or advanced heart failure, complete heart block, glaucoma, epilepsy) * denial of conditions that alter cortisol release or that require corticosteroid therapy (i.e., Cushing's syndrome, Addison's disease, pituitary tumors, adrenal gland tumors, asthma) * denial of severe psychiatric or cognitive conditions that warrant the need for a durable power of attorney (DPOA) * able to understand written and verbal English. Exclusion Criteria: * currently taking oral, injectable, intranasal, topical, or inhaled corticosteroid medications (i.e., prednisone, hydrocortisone, dexamethasone, methylprednisolone, methylprednisolone acetate, triamcinolone, betamethasone, mometasone, fluticasone, budesonide, clobetasol) * do not have the technology requirements to complete data collection (i.e., participant does not have a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer; lack of reliable internet) The following exclusion criteria may affect participants' ability to remain in the study following enrollment: • Development of complications during surgery that require prolonged hospitalization into Postoperative Day (POD) 2 (e.g., postoperative intubation and ventilation requirements, intractable pain, intractable nausea/vomiting, signs of infection or sepsis)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

osteoarthritis, knee Pain, Postoperative Postoperative Complications Stress, Psychological

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Breathing exercises Breathing techniques Cortisol Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal Postoperative anxiety Postoperative depression Postoperative pain Quality of recovery (qor-15) Relaxation Relaxation therapy Stress physiology Stress, physiological Stress, psychological Surgical stress response

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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A doctor treating you

A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Box breathing may ease recovery after knee surgery in seniors

What the study statuses mean