Pain in Osteoarthritis: Emerging Techniques and Technologies for Its Treatment

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is described as a condition characterised by use-related joint pain experienced on most days in any given month, for which no other cause is apparent. OA is the commonest disease affecting synovial joints and affects more than 40% of the population over 65 years. It affects primary the knee joints however hip, ankle, shoulder and small joints of hand and feet may be involved. Previously, OA was considered a wear and tear, degenerative disease that must be accepted as an inevitable consequence of trauma and ageing. With advances in research and understanding of the mechanism of OA progression it is now known as a disease of the synovial joint affecting subchondral bone, synovium, meniscus, ligaments and supporting structures around the joints, including the cartilage. The pathological changes seen in OA are characterised by focal areas of loss of articular cartilage within the synovial joints, associated with hypertrophy of the bone (osteophytes and subchondral sclerosis) and thickening of the capsule. OA is a chronic, degenerative disease associated with joint pain and loss of function. The primary problem in OA is the damage to the articular cartilage, which triggers a series of other events that culminate in pain and loss/limitation of function in the affected joint. Undoubtedly, pain, which is the most prominent and disabling presentation of OA, is an increasingly important public health problem especially within an increasing aging population.