Approved Research

Predictors and sequelea of chronic musculoskeletal pain

Lay summary

More than one in four adults experiences chronic pain, and the most common cause of chronic pain are diseases of muscles and joints. Researchers and clinicians still do not fully understand what determines that a person develops chronic pain and why the pain is more severe in some people than the others. Some research suggests that people suffering from chronic pain share some common characteristics.

The aim of this study is to investigate the negative consequences of chronic musculoskeletal pain by comparing clinical, laboratory, and imaging data, as well as changes in these measures, in people with chronic pain and those who are pain-free. The analysis will include pain-free people and people suffering from pain that persists for over three months and is caused by a disease affecting muscles, tendons, bones or joints but is not primarily caused by inflammation or damage to the nerves.

The results of this study will help to develop more advanced ways of characterising chronic pain, which in turn will inform the design of future clinical trials, help to improve pain treatment strategies, and potentially lead to therapies that are better suited to help individual patients.