The Role of Rumination and Worry in Pain and Functional Limitation in Knee Osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis is a common degenerative joint disease in which pain severity often does not fully correspond with radiographic disease severity. Psychological processes such as rumination and worry may contribute to differences in pain perception and functional limitation among patients with similar structural disease burden. The purpose of this observational study is to investigate the relationships between radiographic osteoarthritis severity, pain severity, functional limitation, rumination, and worry in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Radiographic severity will be assessed using the Kellgren-Lawrence classification. Participants will complete the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, the Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). The study aims to determine whether rumination and worry are associated with pain severity and functional impairment independently of radiographic osteoarthritis severity. Findings from this study may improve understanding of the biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying pain perception in knee osteoarthritis and may support the development of multidisciplinary treatment approaches that incorporate psychological factors into patient assessment and management.

NCT Number	NCT07609056
Lead Sponsor	Fatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital
Conditions	Osteo Arthritis Knee, Worries; Pain or Disability, Rumination
Enrollment	103 participants
Start Date	2026-03-01
Primary Completion	2026-05-20 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-06-01 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-05-29