Sex- and obesity-related variations in pain and functional mobility among knee osteoarthritis patients: A cross-sectional analysis

Objectives: The primary objective was to compare overweight and obese patients on pain intensity and functional mobility in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA). The secondary objective was to examine the influence of sex differences on these outcomes within the same population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 56 patients diagnosed with knee OA. We evaluated pain intensity, knee range of motion, and functional mobility using the timed up and Go (TUG) and 50-foot timed walk (FTW) tests, comparing these outcomes between weight categories (overweight vs. obese) and sexes (male vs. female). Results: The Mann–Whitney U-test showed that obese patients had significantly longer walking times ( P = 0.02, r [ES] = 0.33) and longer OA duration ( P = 0.003, r = 0.39) compared to overweight patients. Females reported significantly higher pain intensity ( P < 0.001, r = 0.50), longer TUG times ( P = 0.02, r = 0.30), and longer disease duration ( P = 0.02, r = 0.32) than males. Spearman’s analysis showed a moderate correlation between OA duration and TUG ( P = 0.41) and a weak correlation with pain intensity ( P = 0.23), suggesting slower mobility and slightly higher pain with longer disease duration. Conclusion: Body weight status and sex differences significantly affect pain intensity, functional mobility, and disease chronicity in knee OA. Obese patients and females exhibited higher pain levels, longer TUG times, and greater disease chronicity, highlighting the importance of individualized management approaches targeting these high-risk subgroups.