Table 4.

Illustrative quotations by category

Explanation of symptoms
Cause of symptoms
“I've thought about it, but from what I understand it's wear and tear. I mean, I've worked a lot. I've been on my feet a lot. I've had my sports things that I used to do, like windsurfing and tennis and all these things, so maybe that's caused some of it, and I've had sedentary periods” (Audrey, age 63, interview).
“I was trying to get the casing off the light, so I twisted, and when I twisted I lost my footing on the stepladder. I landed on my feet, but when I landed my leg was twisted, so it was just enough to kind of mess everything up” (Emma, age 42, interview). “But I played a lot of rugby. And I had a bad injury” (Nigel, age 61, focus group 3). “My problem also is with my left knee as well. I had a ski injury when I was in my 20s and now I'm in my late 40s. I never really had it formally diagnosed” (Idelle, age 46, focus group 6).
“Mine goes back, it's probably 15 to 20 years. It's one of the things where I've pretty much always known, where I've always experienced the pain. I was heavier. I've lost like 100 pounds, and the main reason I did lose the 100 pounds was because it was very painful on the knee” (Isabel, age 48, focus group 4).
Prevention of symptoms
“If I could rewind, I would try and be as equally active as I ever was, but in different sports. I wouldn't play collision sports, because as well as knee pain, I mean, there's head trauma … but swimming, or sports that don't require unnatural strain and stresses on joints. If I could rewind for my sons, I would discourage them to play contact or collision sports as well, because both did and who's to say what will happen when they're my age” (Davis, age 61, focus group 5).
Course of symptoms
“It's a degenerative disease, so it's going to be worse” (Katia, age 43, focus group 4).
“I'm assuming it's just going to be a lifelong condition, but I feel good now at least about how I can manage it” (Rebecca, age 37, interview).
“I just think the future will be like this, unless I do something stupid like try to run or play hockey too much or do something that really injures it permanently” (James, age 42, interview). “Well I'm hoping they keep as they are, they don't get any worse. So with good management and careful activity and consciousness of not breaking them or pushing the strain I can keep them as they are” (Oscar, age 59, interview).
Experience with symptoms
Symptoms made participants feel old, but were not perceived as an inevitable part of aging
“It makes you feel like you're older than you are and also that you can't do as many things as you used to. So you go from one spectrum to the other” (Emma, age 42, interview).
“I guess it's more relating to people differently, more with older people, I guess. It doesn't usually happen to kids, to teenagers, but then I didn't think I was that old either. I guess it was sort of a little bit of a wakeup call that I'm middle‐aged now” (James, age 42, interview).
“Well, yeah, I mean, our generation is never going to get old” (Rachel, age 55, focus group 1).
“Then my family doctor says you have to recognize the fact that you're getting older. So you're going to get pains. Then I started to say well, wait a minute” (Nigel, age 61, focus group 3).