Background: Physical activity (PA) and exercise constitute the first line of treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip and/or knee. Even though the symptoms may vary, OA should be considered a chronic disease and therefore PA and exercise should be performed lifelong. That needs knowledge and motivation. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore and create a deeper understanding of the motivational processes for PA and exercise for persons with hip and/or knee OA who have participated in a self-management program OA school that included long-term exercise supervised by physical therapists. Methods: Twenty-two in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 participants recruited from the OA school at a Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Clinic in Sweden. The interviews were analyzed with qualitative content analysis. Results: The analysis resulted in one main theme, Developing health literacy to encourage motivational processes for PA and exercise in OA and four themes: 1) meeting an established selfmanagement program; 2) carrying my life history; 3) understanding the intelligence of the body; and 4) growing in existential motivation Conclusion: Motivation for being physically active and to exercise, the life history in relation to PA and what creates existential motivation are important areas to ask questions about when people come to OA schools. Knowledge about the signals of the body connected to OA should be implemented in OA schools in order to motivate people to live an active life despite OA. Health literacy and the awareness of how PA can postpone death are likely to be important for existential motivation.

Background: The purpose of this study was to describe how patients with persistent pain experience physiotherapist-guided Free Movement Dance (FMD) as a physiotherapy intervention. Methods: Individual interviews were conducted with 20 patients who had participated in FMD for 1-6 semesters with different guiding physiotherapists. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach as described by Graneheim and Lundman. Results: The analysis resulted in one overarching theme-Physiotherapist-guided Free Movement Dance is empowering in everyday living-and five subthemes: Breaking unhealthy patterns generates physical confidence and strength, Developing greater understanding of the body signals, Accepting pain is important but challenging, Taking responsibility for myself and my well-being and Feeling calmer and happier in life. Conclusions: FMD was experienced as a physiotherapy intervention that enabled the patients to develop an awareness of their own movement, and also leading to the feeling of being empowered in everyday living. FMD can be seen to be in concordance with the core values of physiotherapy that individuals have the capacity to change as a result of their responses to physical, psychological, social and environmental factors.