ABSTRACT
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic joint disease that results in pain and disability in many people. Culturalpractice may influence patients’ views about their condition, its related issues and management. The aim of our study wasto explore the perspective about knee OA and its related issues among Malaysian patients with knee OA. Twelve patientsdiagnosed with knee OA (8 females and 4 males) attending physiotherapy sessions at a University Hospital, mean age(SD): 67.1(9.4) years and median visual analog scale score of 5/10 participated in this qualitative study. One to one indepthinterviews were conducted, audio recorded and later transcribed verbatim. Three main themes were identified fromthe transcribed data; knee pain and its’ related issues (reason and aggravating factors of knee pain, coping strategies),impact of knee pain (impact on daily activities and emotions) and physiotherapy management (effects and expectationsof physiotherapy, compliance and adherence towards home exercises). Most participants expressed that their knee painwas aggravated by certain movements that had an effect on their daily activities namely squatting. The findings alsosuggested that physiotherapy management was perceived as secondary prevention rather than a cure. Findings fromthis study provides information about the perceptions and related issues of patients with knee OA. This information mayhelp health professionals in tailoring patient-centered care and provide better management.