Brain MRI for Knee OA

It has been estimated that 300 million people worldwide have osteoarthritis (OA), and this has increased by 97% over the past 25 years. OA is degenerative joint disease that has joint cartilage break down and causes the surrounding bone to change and rub. The pain and loss of mobility experienced by people with knee OA can seriously reduce quality of life, while pain management causes significant healthcare spending. Unfortunately, the pain associated with OA is complex and difficult to treat other than to have a total knee replacement surgery to replace the damaged bone and surrounding tissues with artificial ones. Our research study plans to use advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques and novel analysis methods to determine if specific parts of the brain are responsible for difficult to describe and diagnose aspects of chronic pain. This study will help us better understand the effects of chronic pain in the brain and the results will help guide future research into new therapeutic options that would focus on relieving the brain dysfunction caused by chronic pain.