Osteoarthritis: a call for research on central pain mechanism and personalized prevention strategies

Jorge Hugo Villafañe, Kristin Valdes, Paolo Pedersini, Pedro Berjano

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the world's leading causes of pain, disability. Symptomatic OA should be suspected in patients with pain in the joints of the fingers, shoulders, hips, knees, or ankles, especially if those patients are older than 40 years. The socioeconomic cost of treating the condition and the burden of the expense is growing with the increasing and aging population. Joint-preserving interventions currently used to manage the condition include joint-protection technique instruction, manual therapy, adaptive equipment provision and instruction, heat modalities, orthoses, strengthening and range-of-motion exercises, adaptive technique instruction, patient education in symptom control techniques, and provision of a home exercise program. Some show potential, but at present, few have a proven ability to arrest or delay disease progression. Recent research regarding central pain mechanisms indicates treating central pain sensitization may be an effective treatment approach. Additional research is required to determine the efficacy of treatment and symptom management of OA.