This study aimed to explore the beliefs of people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) about the disease, and how these beliefs had formed and what impact these beliefs had on activity participation, health behaviour, and self-management. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 people with knee OA recruited from general practices, community physiotherapy clinics, and public advertisements in two provinces of New Zealand. Data were analysed using Interpretive Description. Two key themes emerged. 1) Knowledge: certainty and uncertainty described participants’ strong beliefs about anatomical changes in their knee. Participants’ beliefs in a biomechanical model of progressive joint degradation often appeared to originate within clinical encounters and from literal interpretation of the term ‘wear and tear’. These beliefs led to uncertainty regarding interpretation of daily symptoms and participants’ ability to influence the rate of decline and certainty that joint replacement surgery represented the only effective solution to fix the damaged knee. 2) Living with OA described broader perspectives of living with OA and the perceived need to balance competing values and risks when making decisions about activity participation, medication, attentional focus, accessing care, and making the most of today without sabotaging tomorrow. Misunderstandings about knee OA negatively impacted on activity participation, health behaviours, and self-management decisions. Biomechanical models of OA reduced participant exploration of management options and underpinned a perceived need to balance competing values. Improved information provision to people with knee OA could help guide positive health behaviour and self-management decisions and ensure these decisions are grounded in current evidence.

Purpose: There is little theory to explain how and why some people cope well despite chronic pain. This study proposes a mid-level theoretical explanation for those that cope well, shedding light on factors relevant to acceptance. Method: Classical grounded theory methodology was closely followed to generate a theory grounded in data obtained from community-dwelling people self-identified as living well despite chronic pain. Results: The main concern of people experiencing chronic pain is resolving the problem of disrupted self-coherence. Resolution involves re-occupying self by (1) making sense of pain using an idiographic model; (2) deciding to turn from patient to person, facilitated or hindered by interactions with clinicians and occupational drive; and (3) flexibly persisting, where occupational engaging and coping allow individuals to develop future plans. Conclusions: This theory demonstrates the importance of engaging in occupation during rehabilitation by framing chronic pain adjustment within a process of renegotiating the self-concept. Occupations allow individuals to express values important to their sense of self. Coping strategies are used to enable occupation and are judged by their workability in this context. When developing goals and plans with people living with pain, rehabilitation professionals should consider an individual’s position within the processes involved in learning to live well.

INTRODUCTION: In New Zealand, one in six people report chronic pain, but the literature indicates only a 30% pain reduction is typically achieved in about half of treated patients. Most patients expecting a cure of their pain, or even substantial pain reduction, are therefore likely to be disappointed. It is important to align patient expectations with this reality. METHODS: This study analysed the responses of 250 patients referred to a Pain Management Centre to the free-text question: 'What are your main goals or reasons for attending the Pain Management Centre?' Free-text comments were analysed using ethnographic content analysis, an inductive approach in which the themes and subthemes are not predetermined, but emerge from the data during analysis, and thus reflect the issues of importance to patients themselves. FINDINGS: Three themes emerged from the analysis: patients' desire to understand their pain, regain 'normality', and concerns about medication. Responses were divided into those with an expectation of cure, and those who seemed to be more accepting of their pain and who desired management. CONCLUSION: Patients hope to return to what they perceive as normal and to have clear, relevant information about their diagnosis, prognosis and medications. Those desiring cure, or significant pain reduction, present more of a challenge to their general practitioners and the Pain Management Centre. When referring a patient for chronic pain management, there is a need to align patient expectations at the point of referral with what can realistically be achieved. KEYWORDS: Chronic pain; pain management; patient satisfaction; qualitative research

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common cause of pain and disability. Currently available analgesics are often insufficiently effective or have unacceptable adverse effects. Tricyclic antidepressants may offer a useful centrally-acting analgesic. Nortriptyline is a readily-available, cheap and comparatively well-tolerated tricyclic antidepressant. We will conduct a parallel group, two-arm, participant and investigator-blinded, randomised controlled superiority trial comparing nortriptyline with placebo. Two hundred participants with primary knee OA will be enrolled. Participants will take study medication for 14 weeks. The primary outcome is difference between treatment arms in mean pain score measured on the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) pain scale at 14 weeks. This protocol describes the first randomised controlled trial of a tricyclic antidepressant in the treatment of OA. The results of the study may have significant implications for the management of this common and painful condition. The trial was registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry on 27 June 2014. The trial registration number is: ACTRN12614000683639 .