"You're stuck in the middle here": a qualitative study of GPs' experiences of managing knee pain attributed to a degenerative meniscal tear.

Background: Exercise is the recommended first-line therapy for a degenerative meniscal tear (DMT). Despite this, knee pain attributed to DMTs are a common presentation to specialist orthopaedic clinics. In the primary care setting, the general practitioner (GP) plays a central role in managing patients with knee pain, but to date their perspective has not been explored in relation to DMTs.

General practitioners' views on the challenges of managing knee pain attributed to degenerative meniscal tears in primary care: a qualitative study.

Introduction: Knee pain is estimated to affect at least 25% of people older than 50 years. In Ireland, knee pain accounts for the greatest number of new consultations seen in publicly funded orthopaedic clinics and meniscal pathology is the most common knee diagnosis after osteoarthritis. Exercise therapy is recommended as first line treatment for degenerative meniscal tears (DMT), while clinical practice recommendations advise against surgery.

"You'd be better off to do the keyhole and make a good job of it" a qualitative study of the beliefs and treatment expectations of patients attending secondary care with degenerative meniscal tears.

Background: Current clinical practice guidelines for degenerative meniscal tears recommend conservative management yet patients are frequently referred to the consultant orthopaedic surgeon despite a lack of evidence for the use of arthroscopy.

Objectives: To explore the beliefs about their condition and treatment expectations of patients referred to a secondary care orthopaedic clinic with a degenerative meniscal tear.

Design And Methods: Design and MethodsThis qualitative study involved ten patients who participated in semi-structured telephone interviews.

Relationship Between Pain and Sedentary Behavior in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: Despite the known benefits of physical activity, high numbers of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remain physically inactive and sedentary. Little is known about the determinants of sedentary behavior (SB) in RA. This cross-sectional study was undertaken to examine a range of pain characteristics and RA-related symptoms and their relationship with objectively measured SB.

The Relationship Between Clinical and Quantitative Measures of Pain Sensitization in Knee Osteoarthritis.

Objectives: Pain sensitization in knee osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with greater symptom severity and poorer clinical outcomes. Measures that identify pain sensitization and are accessible to use in clinical practice have been suggested to enable more targeted treatments. This merits further investigation.

Pain sensitization associated with nonresponse after physiotherapy in people with knee osteoarthritis.

In knee osteoarthritis (OA), pain sensitization has been linked to a more severe symptomatology, but the prognostic implications of pain sensitivity in people undergoing conservative treatment such as physiotherapy are not established. This study aimed to prospectively investigate the association between features of pain sensitization and clinical outcome (nonresponse) after guideline-based physiotherapy in people with knee OA. Participants (n = 156) with moderate/severe knee OA were recruited from secondary care.

Nervous System Sensitization as a Predictor of Outcome in the Treatment of Peripheral Musculoskeletal Conditions: A Systematic Review.

Background: Research suggests that peripheral and central nervous system sensitization can contribute to the overall pain experience in peripheral musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. It is unclear, however, whether sensitization of the nervous system results in poorer outcomes following the treatment. This systematic review investigated whether nervous system sensitization in peripheral MSK conditions predicts poorer clinical outcomes in response to a surgical or conservative intervention.

Pain sensitisation and the risk of poor outcome following physiotherapy for patients with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis: protocol for a prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Pain is the dominant symptom of knee osteoarthritis (OA), and recent evidence suggests factors outside of local joint pathology, such as pain sensitisation, can contribute significantly to the pain experience. It is unknown how pain sensitisation influences outcomes from commonly employed interventions such as physiotherapy. The aims of this study are, first, to provide a comprehensive description of the somatosensory characteristics of people with pain associated with knee OA.