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T. Yona1, A. Fischer1
1Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Biomedical Engineering, Haifa, Israel
Background: Kinesiophobia, or fear of movement, is associated with lower quality of life and function in many knee-specific conditions, such as anterior cruciate ligament injury, patellofemoral pain, and osteoarthritis. However, little is known about kinesiophobia and unspecified knee pain.
Purpose: We aimed to investigate the association between knee-related quality of life and kinesiophobia among people with unspecified knee pain.
Methods: An online survey was administered using Qualtrics online survey tool and distributed through social media. Each participant received a written explanation and an informed consent form on the first page of the questionnaire.
The primary outcome measure was the association between the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK). The IKDC assesses the knee-related quality of life; the total score ranges from 0 to 100, where 100 indicates better levels of function and lower levels of symptoms. The TSK assesses kinesiophobia; the total score ranges from 17 to 68, where 68 represents higher kinesiophobia. The secondary outcomes were the association between the IKDC, TSK, and the 12-Item Short Form Survey (SF-12). The SF-12 has two domains, physical and mental, assessing the impact of health on an individual's everyday life. Lastly, we collected the following demographics: age, sex, body mass index, education level, and knee pain duration.
Mean± standard deviation was used for normally distributed variables. When variables were not normally distributed, the median [minimum-maximum] was used. The Shapiro–Wilk test was used to test the normality of the data. Pearson's r was used in the case of normally distributed interval variables, and Spearman's rho was used to assess correlation for ordinal variables: correlations were defined as follows: 0.7-0.9 strong; 0.4-0.6, moderate; and 0.1-0.3, weak.
The primary outcome measure was the association between the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK). The IKDC assesses the knee-related quality of life; the total score ranges from 0 to 100, where 100 indicates better levels of function and lower levels of symptoms. The TSK assesses kinesiophobia; the total score ranges from 17 to 68, where 68 represents higher kinesiophobia. The secondary outcomes were the association between the IKDC, TSK, and the 12-Item Short Form Survey (SF-12). The SF-12 has two domains, physical and mental, assessing the impact of health on an individual's everyday life. Lastly, we collected the following demographics: age, sex, body mass index, education level, and knee pain duration.
Mean± standard deviation was used for normally distributed variables. When variables were not normally distributed, the median [minimum-maximum] was used. The Shapiro–Wilk test was used to test the normality of the data. Pearson's r was used in the case of normally distributed interval variables, and Spearman's rho was used to assess correlation for ordinal variables: correlations were defined as follows: 0.7-0.9 strong; 0.4-0.6, moderate; and 0.1-0.3, weak.
Results: Of the 111 participants, 63 (56.8%) were males, and 48 were females (43.2%). Their mean age was 33.3±12.5, the mean body mass index was 24.4±4.84, and their median pain duration was three years [3 months-44 years].
The IKDC was moderately and negatively correlated to the TSK (Pearson's r= -0.57, p<.01), moderately and positively correlated to the SF-12 physical domain (Pearson's r= 0.66 p<.01), and weakly and positively correlated to the education SF-12 mental domain (Pearson's r= 0.19 p<.05).
The TSK was moderately and negatively correlated to the SF-12 physical domain (Pearson's r= -0.50, p<.01) and weakly and negatively correlated to the SF-12 mental domain (Pearson's r= -0.22, p<.05). None of the demographic variables were correlated to the IKDC. Conversely, the TSK was weakly and negatively correlated to education level (Spearman rho= -0.27, p<.05) and age (Pearson's r= -0.20, p<.05).
The IKDC was moderately and negatively correlated to the TSK (Pearson's r= -0.57, p<.01), moderately and positively correlated to the SF-12 physical domain (Pearson's r= 0.66 p<.01), and weakly and positively correlated to the education SF-12 mental domain (Pearson's r= 0.19 p<.05).
The TSK was moderately and negatively correlated to the SF-12 physical domain (Pearson's r= -0.50, p<.01) and weakly and negatively correlated to the SF-12 mental domain (Pearson's r= -0.22, p<.05). None of the demographic variables were correlated to the IKDC. Conversely, the TSK was weakly and negatively correlated to education level (Spearman rho= -0.27, p<.05) and age (Pearson's r= -0.20, p<.05).
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that higher levels of kinesiophobia are moderately associated with lower quality of life. Furthermore, lower education and younger age were weakly associated with higher kinesiophobia levels. Overall,kinesiophobia is not an exclusive problem of people with a specific knee diagnosis yet affects many people with painful knees unrelated to their specific diagnosis.
Implications: Researchers and clinicians should consider kinesiophobia assessment among people with unspecified knee pain.
Funding acknowledgements: None
Keywords:
Knee Pain
Kinesiophobia
Quality of Life
Knee Pain
Kinesiophobia
Quality of Life
Topics:
Musculoskeletal: lower limb
Musculoskeletal
Orthopaedics
Musculoskeletal: lower limb
Musculoskeletal
Orthopaedics
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Committee: Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Ethics number: Number: 111-2021
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
