Effects of Music During Walking on Pain and Muscle Activation in People With Chronic Pain Due to Knee Osteoarthritis

Participants with knee osteoarthritis (OA) will complete a single study visit which will include three walking tasks, each being 25 minutes in duration. The walking tasks will include walking without music or metronome, walking to metronome, and walking with music. Participants muscle activity, brain activity, and movements will be recorded during these tasks. Participant's pressure pain threshold will be recorded at the beginning and after each task.

Inclusion criteria

• Have activity related pain
• Experience morning knee stiffness ≤ 30 minutes
• Knee pain on most days for 3 months or more
• Able to walk at least 20 minutes with assistance
• Average overall knee pain severity of ≥= 4 on a 11-point numeric rating scale during previous week
• BMI ≤ 40
• Able to communicate using English at a level to understand the study procedures and informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Contraindications to exercise
• Joint replacement in either hip, knee, or ankle
• History of other disease that may involve the index joint including inflammatory joint disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, seronegative spondyloarthropathy (eg, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease related arthropathy), crystalline disease (eg, gout or pseudogout), lupus erythematosus, knee joint infections, Paget's disease affecting the knee, or knee joint tumors.
• Previous knee osteotomy in either knee
• Other health conditions that impact motor functioning or prevent participation (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, diabetic neuropathy, etc.)
• Corticosteroid or hyaluronic acid injections in either knee in the previous 3 months
• Pregnancy (self-report)
• Suspected or known drugs or alcohol abuse
• Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) score < 24
• Hearing impairments
• Pain in lower back or legs that is greater than knee pain