Quantitative Assessment of Central Sensitization in Osteoarthritis Patients

Musculoskeletal pains represent a major part of pain complaints in patients. Moreover, the treatment of musculoskeletal pain conditions by currently available drugs is not optimal (Curatolo and Bogduk 2001). Thus, deep pain is a diagnostic and therapeutic problem, and further insights into the peripheral and central neurophysiologic mechanisms are necessary to improve diagnosis and therapy and to implement a mechanism-based approach. Peripheral sensitization and central hyper excitability are, most likely the important factors for chronic musculoskeletal pain and in particular osteoarthritis (OA).

The focus of this project is to study the involvement of peripheral and central sensitization underlying deep tissue hyperalgesia and referred pain in male and female OA patients.

Adequate quantitative sensory testing assessment techniques for measuring hyper excitability are needed to investigate, in more detail the mechanisms involved in generating the sensitization in OA patients.