Understanding why knee osteoarthritis pain doesn't always match joint damage
Unraveling the discordance between structural damage and pain phenotypes in knee osteoarthritis
This research helps us understand why people with knee osteoarthritis feel different types of pain, even when their joint damage looks similar.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11113856 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Many people with knee osteoarthritis experience pain that doesn't seem to match the damage seen on X-rays or MRI scans. This project explores different kinds of pain, like sharp pain from joint damage or nerve-related pain, to see how they connect with what doctors see on imaging tests. We want to find out if specific imaging findings, such as bone marrow lesions or fluid in the joint, are linked to certain types of pain. This work also looks at how these pain types and imaging findings relate to ongoing pain after knee replacement surgery.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults aged 21 and older who experience symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, including those considering or having recently undergone knee replacement, would be ideal candidates for related studies.
Not a fit: Patients whose pain is not related to knee osteoarthritis or who do not have structural joint damage may not directly benefit from this specific line of research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to more personalized and effective treatments for knee osteoarthritis pain by better matching therapies to the specific type of pain a patient experiences.
How similar studies have performed: While the discordance between structural damage and pain in knee osteoarthritis is a known challenge, this project aims to advance understanding by specifically linking different pain types to imaging biomarkers, building on existing knowledge but with a novel focus.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jarraya, Mohamed — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Jarraya, Mohamed
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.