Inflammatory and Immune Protein Pathways Possible Mechanisms for Pain Following Walking in Knee Osteoarthritis.
N Jennifer Klinedinst, Weiliang Huang, Amy K Nelson and 4 others
PMID 35302959WHAT IT FOUND
A single 30-minute walk increased pain sensitivity in adults with knee osteoarthritis, while healthy controls were unchanged.
Walking also raised inflammatory proteins in osteoarthritis participants.
Key findings
01After 30 min walking, pressure pain threshold at the affected knee fell from 300.97 kPa to 232.20 kPa in adults with knee osteoarthritis, while healthy controls rose from 346.53 to 360.46.
02Serum amyloid A-1 was not detected before walking but was significantly upregulated after walking in adults with knee osteoarthritis, and it was not detected in healthy controls.
03Complement system proteins were upregulated in adults with knee osteoarthritis compared with healthy controls after walking, but walking did not change complement expression among participants with knee osteoarthritis.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only six adults with knee osteoarthritis and six healthy participants were included, so the study was exploratory and not powered to guide treatment. Groups differed in BMI, pain medication use, and race; knee osteoarthritis participants had mean BMI 34.43 versus 25.73 in healthy participants, and 4 (67%) were taking regular pain medication. The study tested a single supervised treadmill walk, not repeated or longer-term walking programmes. The proteomics analysis was exploratory and measured thousands of proteins; protein changes are possible mechanisms, not proven causes. The study did not test longer-term walking programmes or clinical outcomes such as pain relief with walking.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest; the work was supported by NIH extramural funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that walking should be avoided in knee osteoarthritis. The study measured pain sensitivity after a single 30-minute walk in six adults with knee osteoarthritis and did not test long-term walking programmes or clinical outcomes.