Living with osteoarthritis is a balancing act: an exploration of patients' beliefs about knee pain.

ABSTRACT:

Background

This study aimed to explore the beliefs of people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) about the disease, and how these beliefs had formed and what impact these beliefs had on activity participation, health behaviour, and self-management.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 people with knee OA recruited from general practices, community physiotherapy clinics, and public advertisements in two provinces of New Zealand. Data were analysed using Interpretive Description.

Results

Two key themes emerged. 1) Knowledge: certainty and uncertainty described participants' strong beliefs about anatomical changes in their knee. Participants' beliefs in a biomechanical model of progressive joint degradation often appeared to originate within clinica

SUBMITTER: Darlow B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6390552 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature