Women with knee osteoarthritis experience greater pain sensitivity than men

Among patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, women experienced greater sensitivity to various pain modalities—such as lower tolerance to heat, cold, and pressure—and greater widespread pain than men.

The findings may be helpful for clinicians as they decide which treatments are best for different patients. Additional studies on the mechanisms involved the sex differences observed this study may also help researchers develop new treatment strategies for patients.

"Many questions still remain as to why women with knee osteoarthritis are more sensitive to painful stimuli than are men. While therapeutic approaches to control pain are only beginning to take these sex differences into account, there is still quite a bit of research yet to be done to help reduce this gender gap and improve clinical therapies for men and women alike," said Dr. Emily Bartley, lead author of the Arthritis Care & Research study.