Sponsored by The Arthritis Foundation, the study is seeking 80 people planning to have knee-replacement surgery because of osteoarthritis and 40 people who are not having the surgery. David Yocum, M.D. , director of the Arizona Arthritis Center, and Alex Zautra, Ph.D. , Arizona State University Department of Psychology, are the study's co-investigators. People accepted for the study will be involved for 6 months.
Participation includes a pain and knee mobility assessment prior to and following surgery.
In addition, patients will answer questions about social support, mental status, family relations, attitudes about life, general health and physical activity. Although knee-replacement surgery is successful for most arthritis patients, some experience reduced movement and continued pain following surgery. A pilot study showed that psychosocial factors play a major role in gaining full movement and pain reduction following surgery.