Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint condition prevalent in older adults that causes pain, functional interference, affects mood, and contributes to use of scheduled as well as as- needed prn and extra over-the-counter (OTC) medication. Music, with imagery and relaxation, have been shown to impact pain perception and medication in this population, yet no studies have used a blended movement intervention with music, imagery, and relaxation, to assess movement-induced pain. Also, no studies have examined an intervention of this type within a one-week period. Participants were women, between 73 and 95 (N=76), who were randomly placed in an experimental group or control group, alternatively assigned by pain level and blocked to account for multisite study facilitation. A modified visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and modified visual analog mood (VAMs) subscales of tense/relaxed (T/R), exhausted/energized (E/E), and sad/happy (S/H) were assessed immediately following movement. The functional interference from pain (via the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form) was assessed based on recall and medication usage was equated using the Medication Quantification Scale. The independent variable was a therapist-led daily session of blended movement intervention with music, imagery, and relaxation. A series of Mann Whitney U tests revealed that there were no differences between groups on measures of movement-induced pain, mood, or functional interference. However, all measures but T/R trended towards improvement from pre to posttest scores for the experimental group. Movement-induced pain showed directional change in the experimental group compared to the control group at a level considered clinically important in prior research (Tubach et al., 2005). There was no difference in extra medication usage, but a Friedman repeated measures analysis of variance showed there was a significant difference in the experimental group's total (scheduled plus prn/extra OTC) medication across time between pretest and average intervention day. Results indicated that, overall a short-term, blended movement intervention with music, imagery, and relaxation appears to not provide analgesia for pain, or affect mood and functional interference in a statistically significant way. However, this intervention may be beneficial within one week and further investigation into applications for pain management, mood enhancement, functional interference, and medication in the OA and older adult population is indicated.
