Pain sensitivity in healthy volunteers and people with OA

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    PAIN SENSITIVITY IN HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS AND PEOPLE WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS

  • IRAS ID

    148034

  • Contact name

    David Walsh

  • Contact email

    david.walsh@nottingham.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Nottingham

  • Research summary

    Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis worldwide and a major cause of disability. Pain is the main reason that people with OA seek medical attention, and yet underlying mechanisms of OA pain are not entirely understood. This study uses quantitative sensory testing (QST). QST is a non-invasive test, a method of testing the function of the sensory nerve fibres in the skin, which detect pressure and sharpness. For this study we aim to recruit a cross section of 25 participants covering a broad spectrum of people with knee OA, and 25 healthy controls. This study aims to use quantitative sensory testing in healthy volunteers and in people with osteoarthritis of the knee to evaluate the practicality of such tests. In addition, the results will be combined with results from other studies in order to help us understand differences between healthy populations and people with arthritis pain. The total duration of the tests involved in the study should take between 2 and 3 hours. The whole quantitative sensory testing procedure will be repeated within 4 weeks after the first test which will help us to identify any differences in the quantitative sensory testing measures over time.

  • REC name

    East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    14/EM/0228

  • Date of REC Opinion

    20 Jun 2014

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion