ABSTRACT
Background: Patients’ access to movement experiences is implemented in the evaluation tool Body Awareness Rating Scale – Movement Quality and Experience, with its two intertwined parts: 1) the physiotherapist’s observations of movement quality; and 2) the patient’s descriptions of immediate movement experiences.
Objective: To study movement experiences and reflections described by patients diagnosed with hip osteoarthritis when guided to explore simple daily-life movements in this particular evaluation context.
Design: An explorative qualitative study with open-ended questions following each of the 12 movements integrated into the evaluation.
Methods: 35 participants diagnosed with hip osteoarthritis were included; 28 women and 7 men, aged 23–78 years. Their descriptions were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analyzed in accordance with qualitative content analysis.
Results: The patients described experiences of a dynamic adaptation of movement strategies based on sensations from the moving body. Two interrelated categories of movement awareness were identified: 1) Experienced movement challenges, including three sub-categories; a) Lack of contact, b) Movement changed by symptoms, and c) Compensational movement habits, and 2) Movement components promoting well-being, including three sub-categories; a) Integrating balance, breathing and awareness into movement, b) Small, simple, soft and safe movements, and c) A taste of own movement resources for daily life.
Conclusions: The Body Awareness Rating Scale – Movement Quality and Experience provides a platform for patients to become aware of and describe their movement habits and resources in own words, intertwined with the physiotherapist movement observations. Derived descriptions reflect a patient perspective to be implemented in therapy.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully thank the participating patients. They also thank the funding and collaborating institutions: Norwegian Fund for Post-graduate Training in Physiotherapy; University of Bergen; Haukeland University Hospital; and Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflict of interest.