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Updated: Jul 28, 2026
An Experimental Paradigm for the Prediction of Post-Operative Pain PPOP
Published on: January 27, 2010
A Brief, Single-Session Mindfulness Intervention Decreased Surgical Patients' Preoperative Pain, Pain Medication
Adam W Hanley1, Christa Coleman, Allison Davis
1From the Florida State University, Brain Science and Symptom Management Center, College of Nursing, Tallahassee, FL (Hanley, Davis, Sorkpor), the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Hershey, PA (Coleman), the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (Gililland), and the Departments of Family and Community Medicine, Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, and Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA (Zgierska).
Objective:
This study examined the effects of a 20-minute mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on preoperative pain, desire for pain medication, and anxiety among adults scheduled for knee or hip arthroplasty, compared with a pain psychoeducation intervention (control condition).
Design:
A single-site, two-arm, parallel-group, randomized, controlled trial.
Methods:
Participants attending a preoperative education program were randomized to either a MBI or pain psychoeducation intervention, which were matched in format (group), duration (20 minutes), and frequency (once). Pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, desire for pain medication, and anxiety symptoms were assessed using 0 to 10 numeric rating scales immediately before and after the intervention. T-tests evaluated within-group change. Intention-to-treat generalized linear mixed modeling evaluated between-group pre-post changes in outcomes.
Findings:
Among 170 enrolled participants (86 MBI; 84 control), 160 (94%) completed all study procedures. Both MBI and control participants markedly reduced their pain-related and anxiety symptoms postintervention; however, only the MBI group reduced their pain medication desire. Generalized linear mixed modeling revealed that the MBI group, compared with the control group, markedly decreased their pain intensity (P < 0.001; d = 0.85), pain unpleasantness (P < 0.001; d = 0.64), desire for pain medication (P = 0.008; d = 0.41), and anxiety symptoms (P < 0.001; d = 0.55). On average, the MBI decreased pain intensity by over two points, and a higher percentage of participants in the MBI condition reported clinically meaningful reductions in pain intensity (ie, by at least 30%) compared with the control participants (60% versus 26%, respectively, P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
These findings suggest the effectiveness of a brief MBI in reducing preoperative pain and anxiety among adults preparing for knee or hip arthroplasty, underscoring the potential of MBIs to safely address pain and anxiety in surgical settings.
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