Morning bright light plus sleep therapy to lower long-term pain after knee replacement
Adding Bright Light Treatment to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia to Prevent Chronic Post-Surgical Pain in Older Adults
This project tries adding morning bright light to cognitive-behavioral sleep therapy for older adults having knee replacement to improve sleep and reduce long-lasting pain and opioid use.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11144274 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you'll get cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) around the time of your knee replacement, and some people will also use a morning bright light device each day. The team will monitor your sleep, mood, pain levels, and opioid use before surgery and for months afterward. The goal is to see whether combining light therapy with CBT-I cuts the chance of pain becoming chronic after surgery. The plan avoids risky sleep medications and focuses on behavioral care and safe light treatment.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are older adults with knee osteoarthritis who have insomnia and are scheduled for total knee arthroplasty.
Not a fit: People without insomnia, those not having knee replacement, or patients whose pain stems from causes unrelated to sleep are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce the number of older adults who develop chronic pain after knee replacement and lower post-surgical opioid use.
How similar studies have performed: Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia is a well-established, safe treatment with modest pain benefits, while morning bright light as an add-on is a newer idea supported by early evidence for mood and sleep benefits but limited direct data for preventing chronic post-surgical pain.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Smith, Michael T — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Smith, Michael T
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.