Abstract
ObjectiveThis study was performed to investigate the factors associated with the level of knee pain in a nationally representative sample of noninstitutionalized women aged 50 years or older.MethodsWomen aged 50 years or older were selected and included in the data analyses from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2010–2013). Those having malignant diseases or using osteoarthritis medication were excluded. Significant factors associated with the level of knee pain were analyzed using multivariate regression analysis.ResultsA total of 5148 women (average age, 62.9 years; standard deviation, 9.3 years) were included. For women without knee osteoarthritis, level of hip pain (p<0.001), presence of back pain (p<0.001), age (p<0.001), and body mass index (BMI) (p<0.001) were found to be significant factors associated with the level of knee pain. For women with knee osteoarthritis, the radiographic grade of knee osteoarthritis (p<0.001), presence of back pain (p<0.001), level of hip pain (p<0.001), presence of depressive symptoms (p<0.001), and BMI (p = 0.026) were the factors significantly associated with the level of knee pain.ConclusionsWomen without knee osteoarthritis tended to report increasing knee pain with increasing age. BMI is considered a significant controllable factor in knee pain in women regardless of the presence of radiographic knee osteoarthritis. The presence of depressive symptoms may aggravate knee pain in women with knee osteoarthritis. Attention needs to be focused on concomitant musculoskeletal problems such as lumbar spinal and hip diseases in women with knee pain.
Highlights
Controlling knee pain is known to be the most important target of treating knee osteoarthritis, and knee pain is a prognostic factor for radiographic progression of knee osteoarthritis [1]
For women without knee osteoarthritis, level of hip pain (p
For women with knee osteoarthritis, the radiographic grade of knee osteoarthritis (p
Summary
Controlling knee pain is known to be the most important target of treating knee osteoarthritis, and knee pain is a prognostic factor for radiographic progression of knee osteoarthritis [1]. A previous study reported that knee pain severity was a stronger risk factor for self-reported difficulty in performing physical functions than knee osteoarthritis grade [2]. Knee pain is a clinically important consideration, both independently and dependently, for knee osteoarthritis. Previous reports have indicated that knee pain does not necessarily reflect the severity of knee osteoarthritis [3, 4]. The discrepancy between knee pain and radiographic severity of knee osteoarthritis might have been caused by the inclusion of confounding factors and omission of important factors. Various factors have been known to affect knee pain, including body mass index (BMI), female sex, and depression [5,6,7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
