Knee Arthroplasty Recovery With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is widely performed to reduce pain from advanced osteoarthritis, yet many patients experience severe postoperative pain and up to 25-44% develop chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP). Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive neuromodulation technique, has shown promise in reducing pain and opioid use in early studies but has not been evaluated using comprehensive perioperative, home-based protocols. This study will test whether a home-based tDCS intervention delivered before and after TKA can improve acute pain management and reduce the development of CPSP.