A new UC Davis study says pain caused by osteoarthritis can be
worsened by mental health conditions.
Osteoarthritis is the most diagnosed joint disorder. It often impacts the knees, and can cause a debilitating pain, making day to day activities like walking or working difficult. There's no cure for the disorder, and it's treated with pain medications.
Now, a study from U C Davis shows the mental health of patients helps determine the intensity of pain. Barton Wise, an assistant professor at the UC Davis School of medicine, oversaw the study.
"What we found is that people who had worse mood and more anxiety had worse pain from their osteo arthritis," Wise says.
This finding differs from other research. Those studies suggest pain triggers mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.
The study can be read by clicking the link in the top right hand part of this page.