Prognostic value of pressure pain thresholds for the therapeutic success of a combined strength endurance training in patients with knee osteoarthritis

Schmerz. 2026 Mar 27. doi: 10.1007/s00482-026-00934-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Physical training is one of the noninvasive cornerstones of symptomatic treatment for knee osteoarthritis recognized by many medical societies; however, there are also patients who do not benefit from it or whose condition worsens. In recent years, quantitative sensory testing (QST) has come into focus as a prognostic factor for determining the best treatment method for each individual. In the present study, the pressure pain threshold and the conditioned pressure pain modulation were measured before and after an 8‑week training intervention in 72 patients (43 women, 29 men; age: 61.7 ± 8.9 years, height 172 ± 9.7 cm, weight: 93.2 ± 19.3 kg, body mass index, BMI: 31.5 + 6.2 kg × m^-2) with painful knee osteoarthritis. The disease-specific Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) questionnaire and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) were also used before and after the intervention. Neither the QST parameter results measured before the intervention nor the DASS data had any prognostic relevance for changes in pain symptoms, coping with activities of daily life or quality of life.

PMID:41893898 | DOI:10.1007/s00482-026-00934-9