Arthritis care & research
-
Arthritis care & research · Aug 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialCharacterizing Pain Flares From the Perspective of Individuals With Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis.
Although pain in knee osteoarthritis (OA) commonly affects activity engagement, the daily pain experience has not been fully characterized. Specifically, the nature and impact of pain flares is not well understood. This study characterized pain flares as defined by participants with knee OA. Pain flare occurrence and experience were measured over 7 days. ⋯ Pain flares were common, fleeting, and often experienced in the context of activity engagement. Participants' views on what constitutes a pain flare differ from commonly accepted definitions. Pain flares are an understudied aspect of the knee OA pain experience and require further characterization.