Ep42: Pain is More Than What the Knee Looks Like: Osteoarthritis Pain Mechanisms and Phenotypes with Dr. Lisa Carlesso

In this episode, we talked about

The relationship between knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain and the stages of knee OA

The different experiences of knee OA pain

Pain phenotyping using Quantitative Sensory Testing and self-reported measures

Dr. Lisa Carlesso is a an associate professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University in Canada with training as a clinical epidemiologist and a physical therapist.  Her research program is broadly focussed on understanding the mechanisms and consequences of musculoskeletal pain with a particular focus on OA joint pain. Her research strives to optimize outcomes for people with chronic musculoskeletal disorders by 1. Understanding the complex mechanisms of acute and persistent pain through pain phenotyping to improve prognosis and treatment, 2. Using the understanding of endogenous modulation of pain to enhance conservative treatment options and 3. Improving the clinical measurement of pain.

Resources

Aoyagi, K., et al. (2022). Does weight-bearing versus non-weight-bearing pain reflect different pain mechanisms in knee osteoarthritis?: the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study (MOST). Osteoarthritis and cartilage, 30(4), 545-550.

Rankin, J., et al. (2022). Quantitative sensory testing protocols to evaluate central and peripheral sensitization in knee OA: a scoping review. Pain Medicine, 23(3), 526-557.

Carlesso, L. C., et al. (2022). Association of pain sensitization and conditioned pain modulation to pain patterns in knee osteoarthritis. Arthritis care & research, 74(1), 107-112.

Carlesso, L. C. (2023). The impact of altered neural processing of nociceptive signals on physical function in people with knee OA—we know little and have much to learn. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 31(7), 844-846.

Neelapala, Y. R., et al. (2024). Exploring different models of pain phenotypes and their association with pain worsening in people with early knee osteoarthritis: the MOST cohort study. Osteoarthritis and cartilage, 32(2), 210-219.

Neelapala, Y. R., et al. (2025). Latent transition analysis of pain phenotypes in people at risk of knee osteoarthritis: The MOST cohort study. Osteoarthritis and cartilage.