Poor Sleeping Habits may Increase Pain in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis

Less sleep can amplify pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) - a degenerative joint disease that causes pain and swelling of joints in the hand, hips or knee.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, found that OA patients who have poor sleep habits displayed greater central sensitization - an amplification of clinical pain.

Walking can Help Improve Problems Associated With Knee Osteoarthritis
Walking for at least 6,000 steps every day can help improve the mobility problems experienced by those suffering from or at the risk of knee osteoarthritis.

Central sensitization is a condition of the nervous system that is associated with the development and maintenance of chronic pain. The findings further showed that OA patients who catastrophize - consumed by thoughts of pain - had increased central sensitization that was associated with greater pain.

"Our study is the largest and most comprehensive examination of the relationship between sleep disturbance, catastrophizing and central sensitization in knee OA," said lead study author Claudia Campbell from the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.

For the study, the team analyzed 208 participants.

Sprifermin may Help Prevent Cartilage Loss from Knee Osteoarthritis
Sprifermin treated knees were found to have a reduce cartilage thickness loss in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, a new study revealed.

Results show that the subjects with knee OA and insomnia had the greatest degree of central sensitization compared to the controls.

The team found patients with poor sleep and high catastrophizing scores reported increased levels of central sensitization.

Diet and Exercise Reduces Pain in Obese Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis
A new research has revealed that eighteen months of intensive diet and exercise together lead to less knee pain and better function among overweight and obese adults with knee osteoarthritis.

In turn, central sensitization was significantly associated with increased clinical pain.

"Understanding the intricate relationship between sleep, central sensitization and catastrophizing has important clinical implications for treating those with chronic pain conditions such as knee OA," the authors said.

Telephone Linked Technology Helps Knee Osteoarthritis Patients to Improve Exercise Adherence
New research describes an exciting novel tool utilizing telephone linked technology that shows potential as a low cost approach to improving exercise adherence in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

The study was published in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

Source-IANS