Are depression, anxiety and poor mental health risk factors for knee pain? A systematic review

Adapted from Phyomaung, Dubowitz, Cicuttini, Fernando, Wluka, Raaijmaakers, Wang and Urquhart (2014) 

Knee pain, including arthritic knee pain, is a significant health issue in Australia. Although it is well established that psychosocial factors are important in the development and progression of musculoskeletal pain and disability, no systematic review has specifically focused on examining the relationship between psychosocial health and knee pain.

This study aimed to systematically review the literature to determine whether psychosocial factors, specifically depression, anxiety and poor mental health are risk factors for knee pain. The results of this research reinforce the need for a holistic approach to pain management, including psychosocial interventions.

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Phyomaung, P., Dubowitz, J., Cicuttini, F., Fernando, S., Wluka, A., Raaijmaakers, Y., Wang, Y., & Urquhart, D. (2014). Are depression, anxiety and poor mental health risk factors for knee pain? A systematic review. BMC Musculoskeletal Heatlh Disorders, 15 (10). Doi: 10.1186/1471-2474-15-10