Mental Health and the Perception of Arthritic Pain

by Pamela
(Hip Replacement and Recovery)

A new study from UC Davis School of Medicine tells us that the amount of pain experienced by patients with osteoarthritis is directly related to their mental health.

The study found, that in general, those with better mental health experienced less pain and, furthermore, that pain flares were associated with poorer mental health during the previous week.

The research, which was published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage noted that the episodic nature of arthritic pain is not necessarily associated with structural changes within their joints as might be seen on x-rays.

266 patients were interviewed on a weekly basis for 12 weeks. They were asked questions about the amount of pain and their psychological well-being. The patients with the worst mental health had double the risk of a flare compared to those with better mental health.

The study concluded that treatment for mental health problems could improve the patient?s experience.

But how much of the variance does this account for? In my experience pain is far more closely related to the amount and type of activity that I've been doing (something else that wouldn't show up on an x-ray). I do not doubt that mood state play a role in the perception of pain. The question is not if it does but of how much it does and for whom.