Objective To explore the effect of mindfulness-based decompression therapy combined with functional exercise on the recovery of knee joint function after total knee arthroplasty(TKA).Methods A total of 126 patients who underwent TKA at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University from January 2022 to January 2023 were selected and randomly divided into the control group and the observation group,with 63 patients in each group.Patients in the control group received routine postoperative joint function exercise,while patients in the observation group received a combination of mindfulness-based decompression therapy and routine postoperative joint function exercise.Before surgery and 1,4,and 8 weeks after surgery,the visual analogue scale(VAS)was used to evaluate the pain level of the two groups of patients,the Self-rating Anxiety Scale(SAS)was used to evaluate the anxiety level of the two groups of patients,and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)was used to evaluate the sleep quality of the two groups of patients,the American Knee Society Score(KSS)was used to evaluate the knee joint pain,range of motion and stability of the two groups of patients,and the joint angle measuring ruler was used to measure the active knee joint range of motion(ROM)of the two groups of patients.In addition,the Oxford University Knee Function Score(OKS)scale was used to evaluate the knee joint function of patients in the two groups.Results The VAS and PSQI scores of patients in the control group at 1,4,and 8 weeks after surgery were significantly lower than those before surgery(P<0.05);the SAS scores of patients in the control group at 1 week after surgery were significantly higher than those before surgery,and the SAS scores at 4 and 8 weeks after surgery were significantly lower than those before surgery(P<0.05).The VAS,SAS,and PSQI scores of the patients in the observation group at 1,4,and 8 weeks after surgery were significantly lower than those before surgery(P<0.05).The VAS,SAS,and PSQI scores of the patients in the control group and the observation group showed a gradual decreasing trend at 1,4,and 8 weeks after surgery(P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in VAS,SAS and PSQI scores between the two groups before surgery(P>0.05).At 1,4 and 8 weeks after surgery,the VAS,SAS,PSQI scores of the patients in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).The KSS scores of the control group and the observation group at 1,4 and 8 weeks after surgery were significantly higher than those before surgery(P<0.5),and the KSS scores of the control group and the observation group showed a gradual increasing trend at 1,4 and 8 weeks after surgery(P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in KSS scores between the two groups before surgery(P>0.05).At 1,4 and 8 weeks after surgery,the KSS scores of patients in the observation group were significantly higher than those in control group(P<0.05).One week after surgery,the knee ROM in the control group was significantly lower than that before surgery,and the ROMs at 4 and 8 weeks after surgery were significantly higher than those before surgery(P<0.05);the knee ROMs in the observation group at 1,4 and 8 weeks after surgery were significantly higher than those before surgery(P<0.05);the knee ROM in the control group and the observation group showed a gradual increasing trend at 1,4 and 8 weeks after surgery(P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in ROMs between the two groups before surgery(P>0.05);at 1,4 and 8 weeks after surgery,the ROMs of the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group(P<0.05).At 1,4 and 8 weeks after surgery,the OKS scores of the control group and the observation group were significantly lower than those before surgery(P<0.05);the OKS scores of the control group and the observation group showed a gradual decreasing trend at 1,4 and 8 weeks after surgery(P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the OKS scores of the two groups before surgery(P>0.05).At 1,4 and 8 weeks after surgery,the OKS scores of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion Mindfulness-based decompression therapy combined with functional exercise is beneficial for improving postoperative pain,anxiety,and sleep in patients with total knee arthroplasty,as well as for early recovery of knee joint activity function after surgery.