Changes in Sleep Quality After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review
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Updated: Jun 3, 2025
Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
Published on: July 5, 2011
1Sevim Akbal is an assistant professor at Trakya University, Edirne/Kesan, Turkey, and Meltem Yildirim is a professor of nursing at the University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia, Vic, Catalonia, Spain. This study was presented at the 9th National-1st International Orthopedics and Traumatology Nursing Congress; October 23-26, 2019; Antalya, Turkey. Contact author: Sevim Akbal, sen.sevim13@gmail.com . The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Background:
Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a surgical procedure to improve the quality of life of patients with osteoarthritis. However, postoperative recovery can be difficult due to sleep disturbance, such as poor sleep quality, and postsurgical pain.
Purpose:
The aim of this systematic review was to examine recent evidence regarding changes in sleep quality after TKA and to explore factors affecting the postoperative recovery process.
Methods:
This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. We screened the PubMed, Google Scholar, ScopeMed, and Science Direct databases in December 2022 using the keywords sleep, total knee replacement surgery, knee arthroplasty, and sleep disruptions for relevant articles published between 2011 and 2022. Seven studies met all inclusion criteria and were included in the final sample for analysis.
Results:
Findings revealed that sleep disturbance was common during the early stages of the TKA recovery period and may be related to pain. After three months, sleep quality improved and pain intensity decreased. Three studies found a correlation between sleep and pain; however, another three studies did not.
Conclusion:
Health professionals, including surgical nurses, should be aware of the potential impact of TKA on sleep quality and understand, assess, and manage sleep disturbance and pain to provide comprehensive care for their patients and enhance recovery.
