Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic degenerative disease of the joints, and the knee is most often affected. OA affects millions of people worldwide and its risk increases with age. Pain is the major debilitating sign of OA; it impairs function and quality of life. Current pharmacological and surgical treatments are unsatisfactory and produce serious complications. In this project we focus on a non-pharmacological, non-invasive approach to ameliorate OA pain, namely vibration-based exercise. We aim to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the analgesia resulting from whole body vibration. Since OA pain involves peripheral and central nervous system mechanisms, we investigate the impact of vibration on pain-promoting and pain-inhibiting mediators in the knee, peripheral neurons, spinal cord, and brain.
Group members involved: Halina Machelska, Julia Temp, Dominika Labuz, M. Özgür Celik