Exploring the heterogeneity of musculoskeletal pain

Abstract

Musculoskeletal pain often includes pain in the back, neck, knee, and hip, and is associated with a substantial financial and personal burden. Eight chapters are included in this thesis that aims to improve the understanding of the heterogeneity in treatment effects and prognosis of musculoskeletal pain. Four issues were identified: i) people with different pain phenotypes (i.e. back pain with or without neurological deficit) or with distinct underlying health conditions (e.g. pregnancy-related back pain) may respond differently to treatment strategies; ii) people with chronic back pain and presenting different radiological phenotypes may experience different course of the disease; iii) different patterns of analgesic use over time may be associated with different long term health status; iv) different types and number of sites of musculoskeletal pain may be associated with different clinical prognoses.