Effect of Foot Massage on Pain and Analgesic Consumption in Total Knee Prosthesis

The Effect of Foot Massage on Pain, Satisfaction, and Analgesic Consumption in Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty

This randomized controlled trial aims to examine the effects of foot massage combined with cold application on postoperative pain, patient satisfaction, and analgesic consumption in individuals undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA). The study will be conducted in the Orthopedics and Traumatology Department of Çukurova University Balcalı Hospital, which includes an 18-bed orthopedic unit.

Eligible patients will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group.

• Intervention group: Patients will receive both cold application and foot massage. Cold therapy will be administered for 20 minutes every 2 hours for the first 48 hours postoperatively. Foot massage will be performed twice daily (morning and evening) for two days following drain removal, using standardized massage techniques.
• Control group: Patients will receive only cold application following the same schedule and procedure as the intervention group.

Data will be collected using the Patient Information Form, the Short Form of the Brief Pain Inventory, the Numeric Rating Scale, and the Newcastle Satisfaction with Nursing Care Scale. Statistical analyses will be conducted using SPSS, and findings will be interpreted at a 95% confidence level (p < 0.05).

Ethical approval has been granted by the Çukurova University Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee. Institutional permission will be obtained prior to data collection. Participation will be voluntary, and all data will be treated confidentially.

Inclusion Criteria

• Being 18 years or older
• Ability to speak Turkish
• No visual or hearing impairment
• No cognitive disability
• Undergoing unilateral knee replacement surgery
• Volunteering to participate in the study
• Being performed by the same doctor
• Patients who received regional anesthesia (spinal or epidural) during surgery

Exclusion Criteria

• Presence of any intellectual disability or psychiatric disorder
• History of diabetes
• Presence of neurological or cerebrovascular disease
• Diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis