The relation between illness perception profiles and self management strategies in a cohort of elderly individuals with knee pain a cross-sectional study based on the Frederiksberg cohort

Abstract

Purpose: Knee pain among the elderly has been shown to be an early sign of later incident radiographic knee OA and affects the daily life of the individual while it incurs high costs on society. Therefore, early preventive measures against pre-OA knee pain are important. Many individuals with pre-OA knee pain self-manage their condition without seeking health care assistance until a further deterioration of the conditions has occurred. Conceptually, perception of illness is a determinant of how an individual chose to self-manage and seek assistance in conditions like heart disease, sleep disorders, and inflammatory arthritis.