Around one in six people experience the pain, stiffness and reduced mobility of knee osteoarthritis.
Many will eventually consider a total knee replacement operation, especially when everyday activities become difficult. But research suggests that during a wait for surgery, people can lose motivation to get involved with other treatments that can be helpful such as exercise.
Now a study led by experts in Salford has explored what it feels like to live with knee osteoarthritis while waiting for surgery – with the results showing the value of supporting people with knee osteoarthritis to better understand and access first-line options before considering surgery.
Lead author Nathan Brookes, a physiotherapist at NCA and researcher at the University of Salford, said that in-depth interviews with 15 people with knee osteoarthritis found they often believed their knee was ‘bone-on-bone’ and this made surgery seem like the only genuine solution. These ideas were reinforced by scan results and by the language used by healthcare professionals.
He explained: “Although treatments such as exercise and physiotherapy are recommended as first steps, most people felt these were only short-term measures while waiting for surgery, rather than meaningful long-term options.
“Living with knee osteoarthritis had a major emotional impact. People described frustration, low mood, poor sleep and a growing loss of independence. Many adapted or avoided activities they valued, which reduced the quality of life. Over time, this led people to rely more on medication and to feel that surgery was their only remaining choice.”
He and colleagues from the University of Salford say understanding these experiences and beliefs can help healthcare services provide better support, improve education about non-surgical options and offer more personalised care to people living with knee osteoarthritis.
The study Slow march to surgery: using the COM-B model to explore the lived experience of individuals with knee osteoarthritis, awaiting joint replacement surgery has been published in the journal Rheumatology Advances in Practice. The authors are Nathan Brookes, Yeliz Prior, Stephen Preece, Jennifer Parker and Simone Battista.