The association between knee temperature and pain in elders with osteoarthritis of the knee: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis is a highly prevalent, disabling condition that causes significant pain and suffering among older adults. Cognitively impaired elders are as susceptible to osteoarthritis as their peers. However, since they have diminished ability to communicate their pain, an alternative method to detect osteoarthritis pain in cognitively impaired elders is urgently needed. Because the late stages of osteoarthritis involve joint inflammation with a mild increase in local temperature, skin surface temperature might reasonably be expected to serve as a proxy measure of osteoarthritis pain. If knee surface temperature could be shown to predict pain in cognitively intact elders, it could be used as a proxy measure of pain for cognitively impaired elders. AIM: To test this, the study reported here assessed the relationship between knee surface temperature and pain in cognitively intact elders with osteoarthritis of the knee. METHODS: We recruited 12 cognitively intact elders with documented osteoarthritis of the knee who lived in retirement apartments. Elders' pain and knee temperature were measured three times on three separate occasions. Osteoarthritis pain of the knee was measured using the Knee Pain Scale and the Western Ontario and McMaster Osteoarthritis Index pain subscale. A YSI Model 4000 Dual Channel Display Telethermometer was used to measure knee temperature. RESULTS: We found no significant associations between knee temperature and any of the pain measures used, with one exception. However, body mass index, amount of pain medication used and activity level observed during the interview were significantly related to elders' pain. CONCLUSION: Knee temperature does not appear to predict knee pain in elders with osteoarthritis of the knee. Body mass index, use of pain medication and activity level are better predictors of this.     

Biomechanical,neuromuscular and knee pain effects following therapeutic knee taping among patients with knee osteoarthritis during walking gait

BackgroundKnee osteoarthritis is one of the most debilitating diseases associated with aging, and is estimated to affect 9% of men and 18% of women over 65 years of age. Knee osteoarthritis affects the condylar surfaces of the joint and if left untreated generally leads to the slow and painful degeneration of the joint and surrounding structures. With few non-invasive treatment options for osteoarthritis patients, this study investigated the effect of therapeutic taping on knee pain in combination with spatiotemporal, kinematic, kinetic and muscle activation measures.MethodsFifteen participants (10 male, 5 female) with radiographic diagnosed knee osteoarthritis attended a single testing session and walked along at a self-selected pace under three different conditions (no tape, sham tape, therapeutic tape). The conditions were randomised within each testing session. Knee pain, lower limb biomechanics and muscle activation were analysed using a one-way repeated measures ANOVA to determine if any differences existed between the three taping conditions (α = 0.05).FindingsTherapeutic knee taping was shown to significantly reduce the self-reported levels of knee joint pain during straight line walking. No significant differences in spatiotemporal, knee kinetic, knee kinematic or lower limb muscle activation variables were observed between the taping conditions.InterpretationThere is evidence supporting the use of therapeutic knee taping for the management of osteoarthritis related knee pain. Future research is recommended to better understand the complex acute neuro-musculoskeletal adaptations that explain these positive knee pain findings.     

The prevalence of knee pain and symptomatic knee osteoarthritis among veteran traumatic amputees and nonamputees

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether amputees have an increased risk of knee pain or symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) compared with nonamputees. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Veterans Administration Patient Treatment and Outpatient Care files. PARTICIPANTS: All male unilateral (transtibial or transfemoral) traumatic amputee patients and a random sample of male nonamputees. Patients were excluded if they were younger than 40 years, had sustained a significant injury to their knee(s), or had a rheumatic disease. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The prevalence of knee pain and symptomatic knee OA. RESULTS: The age and average weight-adjusted prevalence ratio of knee pain among transtibial amputees, compared with nonamputees, was 1.3 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.7-2.1) for the knee of the intact limb and 0.2 (95% CI, .05-0.7) for the knee of the amputated limb. The standardized prevalence ratio of knee pain in the intact limb and symptomatic OA among transfemoral amputees, compared with nonamputees, was 3.3 (95% CI, 1.5-6.3) and 1.3 (95% CI, 0.2-4.8), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Stresses on the contralateral knee of amputees may contribute to secondary disability. Possible explanations include gait abnormalities, increased physiologic loads on the knee of the intact limb, and the hopping and stumbling behavior common in many younger amputees.     

Gender differences in pain, coping, and mood in individuals having osteoarthritic knee pain: a within-day analysis

This study examined gender differences in prospective within-day assessments of pain, pain coping, and mood in men and women having OA, and analyzed gender differences in dynamic relations between pain, mood, and pain coping. A sample of 64 women and 36 men diagnosed as having pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee(s) rated their pain, pain coping, and mood two times each day (once in the afternoon and once in the evening) for 30 days using a booklet format. Two gender differences were found in between person-analyses: women used more problem focused coping than men, and women who catastrophized were less likely than men to report negative mood. Several within-day and across-day gender differences were noted. First, women were much more likely to show a significant increase in pain over the day. Second, men were more likely than women to experience an increase in coping efficacy over the day. Third, men were more likely than women to use emotion-focused coping when their mood was more negative. Finally, men were more likely than women to experience an increase in negative mood and a decrease in positive mood in the morning after an evening of increased pain. Taken together, these findings underscore the importance of obtaining multiple daily assessments when studying gender differences in the pain experience.     

膝关节骨关节炎患者的本体感觉及其与疼痛和功能障碍间的相关性研究

目的明确膝关节骨关节炎（OA）患者膝关节本体感觉误差的程度和分布，并且评价膝关节本体感觉与膝OA患者疼痛和功能障碍之间的关系。方法在Biodex等速系统上用复位测试法测试28例膝OA患者（其中女19例、男9例）和27名同年龄正常人（其中女20例、男7例）的膝关节本体感觉。OA患者疼痛和功能障碍的评定采用目测类比评分法（VAS）和Lequesne指数。结果膝OA患者产生的本体感觉误差比正常人增加了79％（P〈0．05），并以伸膝位的差异百分率最大。在膝关节本体感觉误差和功能障碍之间存在中度的相关关系（r：0．55，P〈0．05），在膝痛和本体感觉误差之间没有显著相关性。结论膝OA患者本体感觉受损，改善其本体感觉可能使患者的功能障碍得到改善，这对膝OA患者的功能评价和康复方案的设计具有重要意义。     

Gender differences in post-operative pain and patient controlled analgesia use among adolescent surgical patients

The aim of this study was to explore gender differences in anticipatory emotional distress, coping strategies, post-operative pain perception, and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) use among adolescent surgical patients. One hundred and two 12-18-year-old adolescents undergoing surgeries with overnight hospital stay were recruited. Participants completed pre-operative measures of anxiety and anticipated pain. Post-operatively, they reported on coping skills, post-operative anxiety, and pain. Data on PCA use were recorded from medical records. Girls reported higher levels of pre-operative state anxiety and anticipated more pain. After surgery, girls and boys differed on their lowest daily pain ratings and average daily pain ratings, with girls reporting more pain in both cases. Reports of highest daily pain were similar across genders. Gender was found to moderate the relationship between anticipatory distress and post-operative pain, such that higher anticipatory distress before surgery predicted more post-operative pain for girls, but not for boys. Patterns of PCA use did not vary by gender on post-operative days 0 or 1. Findings suggest that adolescent boys' and girls' pain experiences are different in several important respects, although somewhat less divergent than has been reported in samples of adult males and females. Results have implications for the development of targeted intervention strategies to help adolescents cope effectively with acute post-operative pain.     

不同性别抑郁症患者临床特点和防御方式分析

目的探讨不同性别抑郁症患者的临床特征及防御方式的差异性。方法对164例抑郁症患者以不同性别进行分组,其中男性组71例,女性组93例。采用半定式检查法,严格按照遗传学研究用诊断检查问卷内容询问入组患者临床症状,应用防御方式问卷、汉密顿抑郁量表、抑郁自评量表进行评定分析。结果汉密顿抑郁量表评分男女患者总分及各因子分差异均无显著性（P〉0.05）,但女性患者早醒、躯体性焦虑、胃肠道症状因子分均高于男性。抑郁自评量表评分女性患者哭泣因子分显著高于男性,焦虑不安、体重减轻因子分显著低于男性（P〈0.01）,总分及其他因子分差异均无显著性（P〉0.05）。防御方式问卷评分男性患者被动攻击、退缩、假性利他等因子分显著高于女性,而抱怨、躯体化、制止等因子分均显著低于女性,两组比较差异均有极显著性（P〈0.01）。结论不同性别抑郁症患者的临床特征存在差异性,其防御方式有一定的性别差异性。     

Non-verbal cues to osteoarthritic knee and/or hip pain in elders

Behavioral cues are believed to be useful to identify pain among elders who may be experiencing pain but unable to express it. To examine this assumption, we recruited 192 elders who could verbally express pain to determine whether regression models combining behavioral cues (motor and gait patterns) predicted verbal pain reports. In the best model, age (p < .01) and subscales that measured guarding (p < .001) and joint flexion (p < .01) motor patterns were significant predictors of verbal pain reports. The receiver operating characteristic curve indicated that the best cutoff for predictive probability was 40–44%, with a fair to good C statistic of .78 (SD = .04). With a 40% cutoff, sensitivity and specificity were 71.6% and 71.0%, respectively. The investigators concluded that the final model could serve as a building block for the development of a tool using behavioral cues to identify elders' pain. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 34:218–227, 2011     

Mechanical factors relate to pain in knee osteoarthritis

BACKGROUND: Pain experienced by people with knee osteoarthritis is related to psychosocial factors and damage to articular tissues and/or the pain pathway itself. Mechanical factors have been speculated to trigger this pain experience; yet mechanics have not been identified as a source of pain in this population. The purpose of this study was to identify whether mechanics could explain variance in pain intensity in people with knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: Data from 53 participants with physician-diagnosed knee osteoarthritis (mean age=68.5 years; standard deviation=8.6 years) were analyzed. Pain intensity was reported on the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. Mechanical measures included weight-bearing varus-valgus alignment, body mass index and isokinetic quadriceps torque. Gait analysis captured the range of adduction-abduction angle, range of flexion-extension angle and external knee adduction moment during level walking. FINDINGS: Pain intensity was significantly related to the dynamic range of flexion-extension during gait and body mass index. A total of 29% of the variance in pain intensity was explained by mechanical variables. The range of flexion-extension explained 18% of variance in pain intensity. Body mass index added 11% to the model. The knee adduction moment was unrelated to pain intensity. INTERPRETATION: The findings support that mechanical factors are related to knee osteoarthritis pain. Because limitations in flexion-extension range of motion and body size are modifiable factors, future research could examine whether interventions targeting these mechanics would facilitate pain management.     

Thermal and mechanical pain sensitization in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee

Objective: The aim was to assess sensitization using quantitative sensory testing in mechanical and thermal modes in individuals with and without osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Pain thresholds were correlated with functionality, symptoms of depression and intensity of pain. Methods: Thirty control volunteers and 30 patients with OA of the knee were assessed. Punctate pain thresholds using Von Frey filaments and thermal pain thresholds using a Thermal Sensory Analyzer were evaluated in the periarticular region of the knee and forearm. Using a digital pressure algometer, pressure pain thresholds were assessed in the periarticular region of the knee and on the root exit zone on the lumbar and sacral spine. Results: Punctate, pressure, and thermal pain thresholds differed significantly between participants with and without OA (p < 0.05). Values in those with OA were consistent with pain sensitization. Pressure pain thresholds also showed moderate and negative correlations with data on functionality, symptoms of depression and intensity of pain (?0.36 < r > ?0.56), contributing up to 30% of their variability. Conclusions: Allodynia and hyperalgesia were demonstrated in the OA group, suggesting central sensitization in patients with mild to moderate severity of joint damage. Correlation between mechanical hypersensitivity and psychosocial factors seems to be small, despite of its significance.     

膝关节骨性关节炎膝屈伸肌力减弱与疼痛程度的关联

目的:评价膝关节骨性关节炎(OA)患者主观疼痛程度与患膝屈伸肌力减弱的关系。方法:单侧膝OA患者42例。以VAS法询问其下蹲、起立动作时的主观疼痛感觉,分为轻度疼痛(00.05外),疼痛越明显,下降程度越显著。结论:膝OA患者的疼痛可导致患侧膝屈伸肌力下降。     

The role of knee joint moments and knee impairments on self-reported knee pain during gait in patients with knee osteoarthritis

BackgroundThe association between high mechanical knee joint loading during gait with onset and progression of knee osteoarthritis has been extensively studied. However, less attention has been given to risk factors related to increased pain during gait. The purpose of this study was to evaluate knee joint moments and clinical characteristics that may be associated with gait-related knee pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis.MethodsSixty-seven participants with knee osteoarthritis were stratified into three groups of no pain (n = 18), mild pain (n = 27), or moderate/severe pain (n = 22) based on their self-reported symptoms during gait. All participants underwent three-dimensional gait analysis. Quadriceps strength, knee extension range of motion, radiographic knee alignment and self-reported measures of global pain and function were also quantified.FindingsThe moderate/severe pain group demonstrated worse global pain (P < 0.01) and physical function scores (P < 0.01) compared to the no pain and the mild pain groups. The moderate/severe pain group also walked with greater knee flexion moments during the midstance phase of gait compared to the no pain group (P = 0.02). Additionally, the moderate/severe pain group demonstrated greater varus knee malalignment (P = 0.009), which was associated with higher weight acceptance peak knee adduction moments (P = 0.003) and worse global pain (P = 0.003) and physical function scores (P = 0.006).InterpretationGreater knee flexion moment is present during the midstance phase of gait in patients with knee osteoarthritis and moderate/severe pain during gait. Additionally, greater varus malalignment may be a sign of increased global knee joint dysfunction that can influence many activities of daily living beyond gait.     

Gender differences in the perception of chest pain

This study investigated gender differences in pain perception as characterized by pain symptoms in patients diagnosed with unstable angina pectoris. Twenty-nine women and 32 men were asked to characterize their chest pain using a semi-open questionnaire assessing pain intensity (by numerical rating), pain location, pain characteristics, complaints following chest pain, factors that evoked or reduced chest pain, and whether the chest pain was related to heart disease. Significant gender differences were found. Women scored the intensity of their chest pain significantly higher than men (Chi-square 14.8, P < 0.0001), and related their chest pain less to heart disease (Chi-square 24.6, P < 0.0001). The women described an atypical clinical picture of chest pain that was significantly different from men's. The results are discussed in light of pschological theories regarding gender differences in pain perception. These findings imply the need for special attention to the unique clinical pictures that appear for women and men.