Development of a Composite Pain Sensitivity Index and Its Relationships with Knee Pain Severity and Patterns in People with or at Risk for Knee Osteoarthritis: The Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study
Main finding · WOMAC pain severity per 10-unit increase in PSI (cross-sectional)Result — go to the resultAdjusted β 0.45 95% CI 0.38–0.52Authors' conclusion
A composite PSI combining QST measures of ascending (PPT/TS) and descending (CPM) nociceptive signaling had generally stronger associations than individual QST measures cross-sectionally, and to a lesser extent longitudinally. A composite PSI may provide better insights into capturing concurrent pain status than individual QST measures, whereas its predictive utility over time appears to be more pain outcome-specific.
Study context
- Population
- People with or at risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in the Multicenter Osteoarthritis (MOST) Studyparticipants included
- Participants
- 2,679 people
- Exposure
- Composite pain sensitivity index (PSI) and individual quantitative sensory testing (QST) measures in relation to pain outcomes
- Outcome
- WOMAC pain severity per 10-unit increase in PSI (cross-sectional)
Methodological detailsNIH-funded, cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses over two years, log-binomial, Poisson, and linear regression models, adjusted for potential confounders
- NIH-funded
- Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses over two years
- Log-binomial, Poisson, and linear regression models
- Adjusted for potential confounders
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Adjusted β
0.45
95% CI 0.38–0.52
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Development of constant pain by baseline PSI · 2 years
| aRR (95% CI) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Baseline PSI | 1.18 (0.99–1.40) | |
| 0.512Adjusted relative risk (log scale) |
Incident frequent knee pain (FKP) · 2 years
| aRR (95% CI) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Baseline PSIMinimal and not statistically significant | 1.06 (0.98–1.14) | |
| Wrist PPT | 1.05 (1.00–1.10) | |
| 0.512Adjusted relative risk (log scale) |
| Outcome | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Frequent knee pain (FKP) per 10-unit increase in PSI (cross-sectional) | risk 20% greater (95% CI 1.15–1.26) |
| Constant pain per 10-unit increase in PSI (cross-sectional) | risk 27% greater (95% CI 1.14–1.41) |
| WOMAC pain severity 2 years later by baseline PSI | adjusted β 0.40 (95% CI 0.33–0.49) |
- Constant pain per 10-unit increase in PSI (cross-sectional): these associations were generally larger than for the individual QST measures
Original publication
Development of a Composite Pain Sensitivity Index and Its Relationships with Knee Pain Severity and Patterns in People with or at Risk for Knee Osteoarthritis: The Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. Published 28 October 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →