ArticleMusculoskeletal care2020
"I've been to physical therapy before, but not for the knees." A qualitative study exploring barriers and facilitators to physical therapy utilization for knee osteoarthritis.
Article in Musculoskeletal care, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Facilitators and barriers to participation in prehabilitation prior to orthopaedic elective surgery - a qualitative study with elderly (pre-)frail patients.BMC geriatrics · 2025Trial
- A Telehealth Physical Therapy Intervention to Increase Physical Activity in Adults With Knee OA: The Delaware PEAK Randomized Controlled Trial.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy · 2025Trial
- Measurement of expectations regarding exercise therapy of patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis: A scoping review.Osteoarthritis and cartilage open · 2025Article
- Association of Physical Therapy Care With Use of Intra-Articular Injections in People With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Real-World Cohort Study.Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2025Article
- Changing the narrative for exercise-based prehabilitation: Evidence-informed and shared decision making when discussing the need for a total knee arthroplasty with patients.Osteoarthritis and cartilage open · 2025Review
- General practitioners experience multi-level barriers to implementing recommended care for hip and knee osteoarthritis: a qualitative study.BMC primary care · 2024Article
- Delayed timing of physical therapy initiation increases the risk of future opioid use in individuals with knee osteoarthritis: a real-world cohort study.British journal of sports medicine · 2023Article
- Effect of Information Content and General Practitioner Recommendation to Exercise on Treatment Beliefs and Intentions for Knee Osteoarthritis: An Online Multi-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial.ACR open rheumatology · 2023Article
- Understanding the management of osteoarthritis: A qualitative study of GPs and orthopaedic surgeons in Tasmania, Australia.Osteoarthritis and cartilage open · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPhysical therapy (PT) is recommended to reduce pain and improve function. However, only 10%-15% of adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA) use PT in the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore patient-reported barriers and facilitators to PT utilization for knee OA, to understand why PT is underutilized.
methodsQualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews was conducted, that is, one-on-one phone interviews with adults from local community centers. Participants were eligible if they were fluent in English and self-reported knee OA (1) over 45 years of age, (2) have activity-related knee pain, and (3) have no morning stiffness or morning stiffness in the knee(s) for ≤30 min. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. To identify barriers and facilitators to PT utilization for knee OA, a coding framework, thematic analysis, and a constant comparative approach were used.
resultsOf 22 participants with health insurance and who participated, 59% were considering PT, 23% refused PT, and 18% used PT for knee OA. Themes identified as either barriers or facilitators for participants were (1) previous experience with PT, (2) physician referral, (3) beliefs about treatment efficacy before and after knee replacement surgery, (4) insurance coverage, and (5) preference to avoid surgery.
conclusionA previous positive encounter with PT and a physician referral may facilitate PT utilization for adults with knee OA. Knowledge about and access to PT services were not identified as barriers related to PT utilization. Further research is necessary to confirm findings in a broader group of adults with knee OA.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.