Facilitators and barriers to exercising among people with osteoarthritis: a phenomenological study

Evidence indicates that regular exercise improves the well-being of individuals with osteoarthritis (OA). However, these individuals seem to exercise less frequently than the general population and seem to have limited adherence to exercising.

The purposes of this study were: (1) to increase knowledge and understanding of the experience of exercising among individuals with OA and (2) to determine what they perceive as facilitators and barriers to exercising.

This study used a qualitative method, based on the Vancouver School of doing phenomenology, involving purposive sampling of 12 individuals and 16 interviews. The participants, 9 women and 3 men, were 50 to 82 years of age.

Extended information on exercise behavior among people with OA is presented in a model in which internal and external facilitators and barriers to exercising are delineated. Based on this model, a checklist is proposed for physical therapists' assessment of these factors. Internal factors include individual attributes and personal experience of exercising, whereas external factors include the social and physical environment. The participants expressed how each of these internal and external factors could act both as a facilitator and a barrier to exercise participation and the pattern of exercising; for example, the presence of pain was an important aspect concerning internal barriers to exercising, whereas the hope of less pain was one of the main facilitators.

Increased knowledge and understanding of the factors influencing exercise behavior in people with OA can help physical therapists and other health care professionals support them in initiating and maintaining a healthy exercise routine and, consequently, achieving a better quality of life.