Relation of pain sensitization to self-reported and performance-based measures of physical functioning: the Multicenter Osteoarthritis (MOST) study
Authors' conclusion
Heightened pain sensitivity appears to be meaningfully associated with weaker knee extension in individuals with or at risk for knee OA. Relations to self-reported physical function and walking speed do not seem clinically meaningful. Knee pain severity differentially mediated these relationships.
Study context
- Population
- Persons with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis (OA), Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study (60.5% female, mean age 67, body mass index (BMI) 30.2 kg/m²)60.5% female
- Participants
- 1,560 persons
- Exposure
- Pain sensitization (pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) and temporal summation (TS)) in relation to self-reported and performance-based physical function
- Outcome
- Relations of PPTs and TS to WOMAC-F, 20-m walking speed and knee extension strength
Methodological detailscross-sectional analysis of the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study cohort, linear regression, mediation analyses
- Cross-sectional analysis of the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study cohort
- Linear regression
- Mediation analyses
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Pain sensitization and physical function
- Lower PPTs and presence of TS associated with worse WOMAC-F scores, slower walking speeds and weaker knee extension
- Mediation by knee pain severity mixed: greatest for self-reported function, only minimal for performance-based function
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Relation of pain sensitization to self-reported and performance-based measures of physical functioning: the Multicenter Osteoarthritis (MOST) study. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. Published 31 March 2023. doi:10.
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