Association of anxiety, balance, and walking speed among post-menopausal women with the degenerative joint disease of the knee: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Menopause is often associated with musculoskeletal complications like demineralization of bone, loss of muscle mass, and degenerative joint diseases. Osteoarthritis of the knee is the most common degenerative joint disorder among post-menopausal women. There is a complex interaction between perceived anxiety, experience of pain, and limitations of function among post-menopausal women. AIM: To determine the association of anxiety levels in postmenopausal women with osteoarthritis in worsening balance and walking speed. METHODS: This cross-sectional study design was conducted between May and July 2023, according to STROBE guidelines. Post-menopausal females with knee osteoarthritis were recruited from a private hospital, in Chennai, India. Based on the pain anxiety symptom scale (PASS-20) score they were categorized into women with and without anxiety. All participants underwent the Timed Up and Go test (TUG), and 4-meter walk test to identify their balance and walking speed. The collected data were analyzed appropriately using Chi-square statistics and regression methods. RESULTS: The mean age of 100 participants recruited in this study was 49.66 + 6.3 years. The average time of onset of osteoarthritis in the participants was 49.28 months. The study identified that 49% of post-menopausal women with osteoarthritis had anxiety symptoms. Anxiety was significantly associated with an increase in age (P = 0.017) and duration from attaining menopause (P = 0.005). TUG test performance was significantly poor (P = 0.005) in individuals with anxiety. Unadjusted and adjusted linear regression demonstrated that anxiety is not associated with balance and walking speed in postmenopausal women with knee osteoarthritis. CONCLUSION: The presence of anxiety in post-menopausal women with osteoarthritis did not affect balance and walking speed outcomes. Age, duration of menopause, and body weight were found to be significantly associated.