Dataset Information

Experimental pain sensitivity differs as a function of clinical pain severity in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

ABSTRACT: Pain in knee osteoarthritis (OA) has historically been attributed to peripheral pathophysiology; however, the poor correspondence between objective measures of disease severity and clinical symptoms suggests that non-local factors, such as altered central processing of painful stimuli, also contribute to clinical pain in knee OA. Consistent with this notion, recent evidence demonstrates that patients with knee OA exhibit increased sensitivity to painful stimuli at body sites unaffected by clinical pain.In order to further investigate the contribution of altered pain processing to knee OA pain, the current study tested the hypothesis that symptomatic knee OA is associated with enhanced sensitivity to experimental pain stimuli at the knee and at remote body sites unaffected by clinical pain. We further anticipated that pain sensitivity would differ as a function of the OA symptom severity. Older adults with and without symptomatic knee OA completed a series of experimental pain assessments. A median split of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Index of Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) was used to stratify participants into low vs high OA symptom severity.Compared to controls and the low symptom group, individuals in the high symptom group were more sensitive to suprathreshold heat stimuli, blunt pressure, punctuate mechanical, and cold stimuli. Individuals in the low symptomatic OA group subgroup exhibited experimental pain responses similar to the pain-free group on most measures. No group differences in endogenous pain inhibition emerged.These findings suggest that altered central processing of pain is particularly characteristic of individuals with moderate to severe symptomatic knee OA.

SUBMITTER: King CD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3831366 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Experimental pain sensitivity differs as a function of clinical pain severity in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

King C D CD Sibille K T KT Goodin B R BR Cruz-Almeida Y Y Glover T L TL Bartley E E Riley J L JL Herbert M S MS Sotolongo A A Schmidt J J Fessler B J BJ Redden D T DT Staud R R Bradley L A LA Fillingim R B RB

Osteoarthritis and cartilage 20130901 9

<h4>Objective</h4>Pain in knee osteoarthritis (OA) has historically been attributed to peripheral pathophysiology; however, the poor correspondence between objective measures of disease severity and clinical symptoms suggests that non-local factors, such as altered central processing of painful stimuli, also contribute to clinical pain in knee OA. Consistent with this notion, recent evidence demonstrates that patients with knee OA exhibit increased sensitivity to painful stimuli at body sites un ...[more]

PMID: 23973137

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundTranscutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is commonly used for the management of pain; however, its effects on several pain and function measures are unclear.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine the effects of high-frequency TENS (HF-TENS) and low-frequency TENS (LF-TENS) on several outcome measures (pain at rest, movement-evoked pain, and pain sensitivity) in people with knee osteoarthritis.DesignThe study was a double-blind, randomized clinical trial.SettingThe setting was a tertiary care center.ParticipantsSeventy-five participants with knee osteoarthritis (29 men and 46 women; 31-94 years of age) were assessed.InterventionParticipants were randomly assigned to receive HF-TENS (100 Hz) (n=25), LF-TENS (4 Hz) (n=25), or placebo TENS (n=25) (pulse duration=100 microseconds; intensity=10% below motor threshold).MeasurementsThe following measures were assessed before and after a single TENS treatment: cutaneous mechanical pain threshold, pressure pain threshold (PPT), heat pain threshold, heat temporal summation, Timed "Up & Go" Test (TUG), and pain intensity at rest and during the TUG. A linear mixed-model analysis of variance was used to compare differences before and after TENS and among groups (HF-TENS, LF-TENS, and placebo TENS).ResultsCompared with placebo TENS, HF-TENS and LF-TENS increased PPT at the knee; HF-TENS also increased PPT over the tibialis anterior muscle. There was no effect on the cutaneous mechanical pain threshold, heat pain threshold, or heat temporal summation. Pain at rest and during the TUG was significantly reduced by HF-TENS, LF-TENS, and placebo TENS.LimitationsThis study tested only a single TENS treatment.ConclusionsBoth HF-TENS and LF-TENS increased PPT in people with knee osteoarthritis; placebo TENS had no significant effect on PPT. Cutaneous pain measures were unaffected by TENS. Subjective pain ratings at rest and during movement were similarly reduced by active TENS and placebo TENS, suggesting a strong placebo component of the effect of TENS.

Dataset Information

Experimental pain sensitivity differs as a function of clinical pain severity in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

Publications

Experimental pain sensitivity differs as a function of clinical pain severity in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets