Association of fatigue severity with pain level, obesity indices, functional performances and exercise capacity in women with knee osteoarthritis

Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) is a painful degenerative joint disease that may limit movement and lead to physical inactivity. This project was conducted in two phases. Study I, a case-controlled study comparing characteristics between women with and without KOA, and Study II aimed to determine factors associated with fatigue severity and exercise capacity among women with KOA. Methods: In study I, a casecontrolled design recruited 33 female patients (mean age = 54.76 ± 5.54 years) diagnosed with KOA and 33 healthy participants (mean age = 53.30 ± 5.57 years). In study II, the cross-sectional design recruited 155 participants with KOA (mean age = 56.08 ± 7.59 years). Sociodemographic factors, pain level, obesity indices (body weight, body mass index, fat %, waist circumference), functional performances (handgrip strength, lower limb functional strength), quality of life (total and subscales of pain, stiffness, and physical function), fatigue severity and exercise capacity (6-minute walked distance, heart rate recovery, rating of perceived exertion) were measured.