The study, led by Dr Maja Radojčić, Postdoctoral Researcher at Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology & Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) examined pain trajectories of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), a chronic joint disease that limits function and affects quality of life. Knee OA has generally been thought of as a heterogeneous disease with treatment options focusing on pain management or the surgical option of joint replacement.
However, by measuring patients’ pain experience, functional limitation, and responsiveness to available treatment options over time, the team were able to categorise patients into four different phenotypes: low-fluctuating, mild-increasing, moderate-treatment-sensitive and severe-treatment-insensitive pain. Importantly, the group in need of novel options not responsive to current treatments was found, as well as a subgroup that significantly improved after surgery.