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Self-efficacy is the belief that one can perform a specific behavior or task in the future, and it has been associated with physical and psychological aspects in people with chronic musculoskeletal disorders. The self-efficacy of individuals with arthritis can be assessed using the Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale. The 8-item Short-Form ASES (ASES-8) has been employed in recent times. However, the reliability and validity of the Japanese ASES-8 (ASES-8J) have not been investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of the ASES-8J. Overall, 179 Japanese participants with knee osteoarthritis (OA) were enrolled. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to confirm internal validity. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to estimate test-retest reliability. Construct validity was analyzed using the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) and the problem-solving and positive thinking subscales of Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (Brief COPE). Discriminant validity was analyzed by comparing "worse" and "better" groups based on pain severity; short-form version of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21); Brief Fear of Movement Scale for Osteoarthritis (BFOMSO); Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS); and physical function subscale of Western Ontario and McMaster Arthritis Index. Cronbach's alpha and ICC were 0.94 and 0.81, respectively. Correlation coefficients among ASES-8J, PSEQ, and Brief COPE problem-solving and positive thinking subscales were 0.42, 0.43, and 0.32, respectively. Regarding the depression and stress subscales of DASS-21, BFOMSO, and PCS, the worse group showed significantly lower ASES-8J scores than the better group. Coefficients of correlation among ASES-8J, PSEQ, and the problem-solving and positive thinking subscales of Brief COPE were low to moderate. These findings suggest that the ASES-8J is a valid and reliable tool for assessing self-efficacy in Japanese patients with knee OA and can facilitate comparisons of arthritis self-efficacy between Japanese patients and non-Japanese patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Subjective knee stiffness is a common symptom in patients with knee osteoarthritis treated conservatively. However, the influencing factors or effects of knee joint stiffness are unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the factors associated with subjective knee stiffness in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: The MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, and PEDro databases were searched in November 2021. Prospective or retrospective cohort studies were included. The methodological quality of the selected articles was assessed using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network checklist. Results: Twenty out of 1943 screened articles were included in this systematic review. Eighteen and two studies were rated as having acceptable and low quality, respectively. All the included studies measured subjective knee stiffness using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. The main findings were that worse preoperative subjective knee stiffness was associated with worse pain, subjective knee stiffness, and patient satisfaction at 1 year after total knee arthroplasty. In addition, worse subjective knee stiffness was associated with future degenerative changes in the knee joint, such as joint space narrowing and osteophyte growth progression. Conclusion: Subjective knee stiffness may be associated with the prognosis after total knee arthroplasty and degenerative changes in the knee joint. Early detection and treatment of knee stiffness could lead to a good prognosis after total knee arthroplasty and prevent the progression of degenerative changes in the knee joint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate differences in psychological characteristics between people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) from Japan and Australia. Sixty-two adults from Japan and 168 adults from Australia aged over 50 years with knee pain were included. Japanese data were collected from patients with knee OA diagnosed by medical doctors. Australian data were baseline data from a randomized controlled trial. Participants were not exercising regularly or receiving physiotherapy at the time. Psychological characteristics evaluated were depressive symptoms, fear of movement, and pain catastrophizing. These psychological characteristics were compared between the Japanese and Australian cohorts by calculating 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for difference of the mean. To test for equivalence, an equivalence margin was set at 0.5 standard deviations (SD) of the mean, where these SDs were based on the Australian data. When the 95%CI for the difference of the mean value lay entirely within the range of equivalence margin (i.e. between -0.5 and 0.5 times the Australian SD), the outcome was considered equivalent. There were no differences between the groups from Japan and Australia for depressive symptoms and the two groups were considered equivalent. There was no difference between groups for fear of movement, however the criteria for equivalence was not met. People from Japan with knee OA had higher scores for pain catastrophizing than people from Australia. The findings should be confirmed in other samples of people with knee OA from Japan and Australia due to the limitations of the participant recruitment strategy in this study. However, our findings suggest there may be a greater need to consider pain catastrophizing and build pain self-efficacy when managing Japanese people with knee OA. Implementation of international clinical practice guidelines for OA management may require different strategies in different countries due to different psychological profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the clinical impact in knee osteoarthritis (OA) of coexisting patellofemoral (PF) joint OA (PFOA) in Japanese patients with medial tibiofemoral (TF) joint OA (TFOA).Methods: Patients with medial knee OA (n = 143) were enrolled. The radiographic severity of the TF and PF joints, anatomic axis angle of the TF joint, patellar alignment, trochlear morphology, patellar height, and passive range of motion (ROM) of the painful knee were evaluated. Additionally, the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM) was used to investigate the association between the presence of PFOA and clinical symptoms.Results: PFOA was present in 98 of 143 patients (68.5%) with medial knee OA. Quantile regression analysis revealed that coexisting PFOA was associated with the pain-related subcategory of the JKOM. Furthermore, multiple logistic regression analysis showed that coexisting PFOA was associated with higher odds of reporting knee pain on using stairs while ascending (odds ratio [OR] 4.81 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.73, 14.3]) and descending (OR 3.86 [95% CI 1.44, 10.8]). A more varus knee alignment and lower knee flexion ROM, which are features of patients with coexisting PFOA, were associated with knee pain while ascending/descending stairs. However, patellar alignment, trochlear morphology, and patellar height were not significantly associated with knee pain.Conclusion: PFOA coexisting with medial knee OA was associated with worse clinical symptoms, particularly while ascending/descending stairs, although patellar alignment did not contribute to reporting knee pain. Further studies that include evaluation of the PF joint are warranted to develop a basis for an optimal intervention based on compartmental involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]