文摘
Older adults with a new visit to primary care for back pain with comorbid knee or hip osteoarthritis have modestly increased back-related disability, pain interference with activity, and lower health-related quality of life over 12 months. Improvement in back-related disability was less among older adults with knee osteoarthritis, therefore influencing the clinical course of back pain in this subgroup. There was no difference in total back-related health care use, but the utilization of specific categories of use (physical therapy and spinal injections) was more common among older adults with comorbid knee osteoarthritis. These findings suggest rehabilitation providers may need to consider tailoring treatment approaches for older adults with back pain who also have knee or hip osteoarthritis because comorbid osteoarthritis was associated with worse outcomes.