Subtheme	Study	Direct participant data	Author description of data
Pain, muscle weakness, physical function	Campbell 2001	"It [severity of knee symptoms] got worse and worse and I started falling down." p.135. "I was having trouble with my knees every so often it did hurt you know with one thing and another." p.135. "Because when you've got knees like this, you like to do other things, you think I'm gonna go ‐ I'd like to get back to how I was before, but I don't think that's ever going to happen now." p.136.	None reported.
	Hendry 2006	"I can't walk as fast or as far as I used to because my knee hurts." p.560. "My knee is stiff, especially first thing in the morning or after resting." p.560. "Going downhill or downstairs is particularly painful." p.560. "It's absolute agony in spite of painkillers, so any activity is very limited." p.560.	None reported.
	Hurley 2010	Pain described as: "a niggle", "not too bad", "murder" or "agony." p.3. "…Getting out of bed, getting going, turning over in bed, waking up in the night…getting in and out of the car is a nightmare…" p.5. "…I'm limited now, I can't go out as often as before, you know." p.5. "…It alters your life…it swings your life right round, it restricts you…" p.5.	Typically, people described episodic pain that increased gradually over several years. Pain varied greatly within and between participants, described variously. Often weight‐bearing activities brought on pain, but people with advanced disease also had pain while sitting or in bed. The unpredictability of pain bewildered people. p.3.
	Morden 2011	"I mean, I now work at (Supermarket X) shelf filling and I've actually bought a set of knee‐pads. The tilers use them. Yeah, I put them on, it's a source of amusement for most other people, but they are not 'with it' ‐ the kneeling on a cold floor, for eight hours a day. Young people don't realise what they're doing to their knees. I tried it for the first week and I couldn't walk. I've got my kneepads, now. I can do the job with no problem at all, no problem at all. My knees are as good as they were before I went to (Supermarket X)" p.194.	Frequently participants discussed how they make adaptations and adjust routines to enable them to continue in their daily tasks in the face of painful symptoms. This could include bursts of activity followed by rest and using heat rubs, making adaptations to the household such as rearranging the order of kitchen shelving or altering walking routes to avoid hills if they found them problematic. For example, Michael had experienced knee pain for several years. He was a keen keep fit fanatic and engaged in regular exercise. The pain from his knee caused him difficulties when bending and also prevented him from placing his knee on hard surfaces for too long. Michael works as a manual labourer for a large supermarket chain. In his account, he discussed the importance of having to work to help keep the family home, arguably part of a moral need to maintain a sense of competency in his social role which, in turn, was related to his sense of self. He outlined a particular self‐initiated strategy that helped to maintain his role as a contributor to the family home. Michael discovered this particular strategy after going on a tiling course when he was unemployed. This particular knowledge helped him to plan and ensure his knee pain was manageable while working. pp.193‐4.
	Petursdottir 2010	"It was like my body was made of lead." p.1020.	A few of the women mentioned "paralyzing fatigue" as a major barrier for getting anything done and felt it might be related more to mental fatigue than to physical fatigue.
	Stone 2015	"I'm always in pain and agony, every movement is a chore. Sometimes, I just stare at my stairs, dreading what comes next." p.8. "I can't bend down. I can't get on the floor, if I do, it is a chore for me to get up. Bending my knees hurts all the time. Walking now seems to be hurting me as well. (P5)." p.9. "If someone called to play ball or something I would say, "I'm busy, I can't, and pretty soon I realized that I couldn't do it, not that I didn't want to, I just couldn't anymore. It wasn't worth the pain." p.9.	Multiple participants expressed being in a constant state of pain, in which any movement, let alone "stressful" exercise, was overwhelming. This statement exemplifies the difficulties many participants expressed when attempting to accomplish functional tasks, such as ascending and descending staircases. Other functional difficulties included pain during walking, showering and bending. These activities of daily living were frequently described as "chores." p.8. In addition to these limitations, participants spoke of fatiguing rapidly, which made considering physical activity as more of a challenge. Some participants elaborated on this "fatigue," explaining how OA pain caused them to feel "broken" or "100 years old," and often motivated them in avoiding social interactions that involved some sort of physical activity. p.9.