Physical functions associated with health-related quality of life in older adults diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis.
Ayako Yokota, Etsuko Maeshima, Kentaro Sasaki and 3 others
PMID 36628147WHAT IT FOUND
In older adults awaiting knee surgery, slow sit-to-stand and walking speed tracked lower physical and social quality of life, but not mental well-being.
Pain on joint loading also correlated with poorer physical quality of life. Assess these specific functions to target rehab.
Key findings
01Physical component summary scores were significantly lower in the knee osteoarthritis group compared to controls.
02Mental component summary scores showed no significant difference between the knee osteoarthritis group and controls.
03In the knee osteoarthritis group, time to complete the Sit-to-Stand-5 test and Timed Up and Go test correlated negatively with physical component summary scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study only included older adults with advanced knee osteoarthritis who were eligible for surgery, so results may not apply to those with milder symptoms. The proportion of female participants was disproportionately high. The study did not measure actual physical activity levels or daily social activities, relying instead on self-reported quality of life scores. The reason why mental health scores did not differ significantly between groups is unclear, though the authors suggest it may be due to sampling bias as the patients were motivated for surgery.
Declared interests
The principal investigator and the co-investigators have no conflicts of interest to declare in relation to this study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that knee osteoarthritis negatively impacts mental well-being. The study found no significant difference in mental component summary scores between the patients and healthy controls, meaning the quality of life decline was specific to physical and social domains.