Effect of emotional freedom techniques in mitigating pain catastrophizing following total knee arthroplasty

Controlled trial👥 64 participants⚖️ vs. conventional postoperative careModerate rigor✓ Source-checked📍 China

In plain English. Sixty-four knee replacement patients were divided (not randomly, but by admission order) into a group getting standard care plus a 4-week combined offline/online EFT program, or standard care alone. The EFT group showed significantly less pain catastrophizing (excessive negative thinking about pain) and less pain sensitivity up to 6 months later. Because patients were assigned by admission sequence rather than randomization, unmeasured differences between the groups could partly explain the results.

What they found

people took part

A statistically significant reduction was observed in total pain catastrophizing and rumination from baseline to 6 months post-intervention (P<0.001); pain severity decreased significantly during the first 3 months, and pain sensitivity scores significantly decreased through 6 months (P<0.001).

How the study worked

Who took partpatients following total knee arthroplasty for end-stage knee osteoarthritis (n=64)

What they didIn a controlled trial, a tapping group was compared against a separate comparison group.

Compared withconventional postoperative care

Measured withPain Catastrophizing Scale, Numeric Pain Rating Scale, Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire

💡 Where this could help

If findings like these hold up in larger trials, the promise is simple: a low-cost, self-administered tool that could reach people struggling with other physical conditions who can't easily access traditional care — at home, between appointments, or where there aren't enough clinicians to go around.

🔬 What to study next

The natural next step: longer-term follow-up to see how durable the benefit is, and an active ('sham tapping') control to isolate what's doing the work.

The full record

Design	Controlled trial
Participants	64 people
Population	patients following total knee arthroplasty for end-stage knee osteoarthritis
Comparison group	conventional postoperative care
Outcome measures	Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Numeric Pain Rating Scale, Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire
Journal	Complementary Therapies in Medicine
Year	2025
Country	China
Language	English
Method	EFT / tapping
Publication type	Study / trial
Verification	✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Lin, A., Liu, Z., Zhang, T., Zhao, Y., Yang, C., & Wan, H. (2025). Effect of emotional freedom techniques in mitigating pain catastrophizing following total knee arthroplasty. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2025.103213

This record is part of the Tapping Evidence Base — an openly-sourced, fully-referenced directory of the research on EFT/tapping. Explore more studies on Other Physical Conditions