Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Dec;8(4):422-9.
doi: 10.1007/s11552-013-9537-2.

Widespread pressure pain hypersensitivity in elderly subjects with unilateral thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis

Alessandro Chiarotto  1 , Cesar Fernandez-de-Las-Peñas  2 , Matteo Castaldo  3 , Stefano Negrini  4 , Jorge Hugo Villafañe  5
Affiliations

Widespread pressure pain hypersensitivity in elderly subjects with unilateral thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis

Alessandro Chiarotto et al. Hand (N Y). 2013 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Widespread pressure hypersensitivity is one of the signs that characterize central pain sensitization in subjects with knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether widespread pressure pain hyperalgesia is a feature of individuals with unilateral symptomatic thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) OA.

Methods: A total of 16 patients with unilateral symptomatic thumb CMC OA and 16 healthy sex- and age-matched controls were recruited. Pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) were assessed bilaterally over the first CMC joint; the C5-C6 zygapophyseal joint; the median, ulnar, and radial nerves; and tibialis anterior muscle. Grip and key strength, intensity of pain, and function QuickDASH were also measured.

Results: The analyses showed that patients with thumb CMC OA present bilaterally decreased PPTs over the first CMC joint, the C5-C6 zygapophyseal joint, and the tibialis anterior, median, ulnar and radial nerve as compared to controls (all, P < 0.01). Patients with thumb CMC OA also exhibited a bilateral reduction in pinch and grip strength than controls (P < 0.05). A significant correlation was found between PPT over the radial nerve and QuickDASH (r = 0.546, P = 0.029).

Conclusion: This study revealed bilateral widespread pressure pain hypersensitivity in individuals with unilateral symptomatic thumb CMC OA, suggesting that central pain processing mechanisms might be a feature of this pain population. These results should be taken into consideration when addressing future treatment approaches.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Aranda Villalobos P, Fernández de las Peñas C, Navarro Espigares JL, Hernández Torres E, Villalobos M, Arendt-Nielsen L, Arroyo Morales M. Normalization of widespread pressure pain hypersensitivity in patients with hip osteoarthritis after total hip replacement is associated with clinical and functional improvements. Arthritis Rheum. 2013;65:1262–1270. doi: 10.1002/art.37884. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Arendt-Nielsen L, Nie H, Laursen MB, Laursen BS, Madeleine P, Simonsen OH, Graven-Nielsen T. Sensitization in patients with painful knee osteoarthritis. Pain. 2010;149:573–581. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2010.04.003. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Armstrong AL, Hunter JB, Davis TR. The prevalence of degenerative arthritis of the base of the thumb in post-menopausal women. J Hand Surg (Br) 1994;19:340–341. doi: 10.1016/0266-7681(94)90085-X. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bajaj P, Bajaj P, Graven-Nielsen T, Arendt-Nilsen L. Osteoarthritis and its association with muscle hyperalgesia: an experimental controlled study. Pain. 2001;93:107–114. doi: 10.1016/S0304-3959(01)00300-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Beaton DE, Wright JG, Katz JN, Upper Extremity Collaborative Group Development of the QuickDASH: comparison of three item-reduction approaches. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2005;87:1038–1046. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.D.02060. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources