Association of Pain Catastrophizing With Static Balance, Mobility, or Functional Capacity in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Blind Cross-sectional Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether catastrophizing is associated with static balance, mobility, and functional capacity in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: A blind, cross-sectional study was conducted involving 60 volunteers (males and females), ages 40 to 80 years, with a diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis. Patients were recruited from a physical therapy clinic in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The following measures were used for the evaluations: Pain-Related Self-Statement Scale, Functional Reach Test, Timed Up and Go Test, Lower Extremity Functional Scale, and Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index. In statistical analysis, histograms were created to determine distribution of data. Spearman's correlation coefficients (r(s)) were then calculated to determine the strength of the associations among the variables. Results: No significant correlation was found between the Pain-Related Self-Statement Scale score and the other clinical measures employed in the present study: Functional Reach Test (r(s) = 0.151; P = .249), Timed Up and Go Test (r(s) = -0.147; P = .264), Lower Extremity Functional Scale (r(s) = 0.023; P = .860), and Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis (rs = -0.222; P = .088). Conclusions: In this study, catastrophizing was not associated with static balance, mobility, or functional capacity in patients with knee osteoarthritis.