Anxiety and Osteoarthritis Research and Clinical Implications

Ray Marks

Departments of Health, Physical Education & Gerontological Studies and Services, City University of New York, York College and Health and Behavior Studies, Columbia University, Teachers College, New York, USA

Dr. Ray Marks, Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, USA.

Keywords: Anxiety; Disability; Joint Replacement Surgery; Osteoarthritis; Pain; Research; Treatment

Abstract

Osteoarthritis, a widespread highly painful oftentimes incapacitating joint disease with few efficacious remedies continues to pose immense personal and societal challenges on a large scale in an aging population. In absence of any effective cure or treatment for this condition, this brief was designed to update the reader as to whether anxiety, a widespread psychological syndrome affecting many adults, remains an underestimated contributor to osteoarthritis disability. Drawn from the prevailing peer reviewed data sources in the leading electronic data bases, using the keywords osteoarthritis and anxiety, detailed are some recent research observations published predominantly between the years 2014-2018 in this regard. Although not extensive, nor amenable to any systematic analysis, the search revealed that anxiety is indeed often present among sizeable numbers of osteoarthritis cases, and its presence appears to have a multitude of negative health effects at all disease stages. Consistent with prior reports on this topic, it is concluded that the topic of anxiety, which may play a bi-directional role in influencing disease outcomes, warrants attention as a potentially clinically relevant disease predictor or outcome variable on a more consistent basis. Moreover, where present, multidisciplinary follow-ups and tailored treatments may enhance overall well-being, and prevent excess disability, regardless of joint[s] affected and their severity or status.

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).