Osteoarthritis pain goes central

For years osteoarthritis was the preserve of rheumatologists, with joint erosion assumed as the be-all and end-all of the disease. However, important findings in pain research are forcing a shake up in thinking, and osteoarthritis is now increasingly seen as a neurological disease with a powerful central input. At a Novartis Foundation meeting in London, UK (July 1, 2003) rheumatologists and neuroscientists came head-to-head to discuss the clinical implications of these emerging ideas.