Bmc Musculoskel Dis
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Bmc Musculoskel Dis · Apr 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialThe association between psychological characteristics and physical activity levels in people with knee osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional analysis.
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between psychological characteristics and physical activity levels, measured as the average number of steps per day, in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA). ⋯ The results of this study revealed that the relationship was such that lower fear of movement and lower pain catastrophizing may be associated with more steps per day. It may be hypothesized that fear of moving and pain catastrophizing lead to activity avoidance and that strategies to improve these disease-related psychological aspects may be useful in enhancing physical activity participation, although this hypothesis is highly speculative and needs further testing given the cross-sectional design of this study.