Sleep, Pain Catastrophizing, and Central Sensitization in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients With and Without Insomnia

Campbell CM, Buenaver LF, Finan P, et al. · Arthritis Care & Research

Knee-OA patients with insomnia and low sleep efficiency showed the greatest central sensitization (amplified pain processing), especially with high catastrophizing — sleep quality shapes how loudly an arthritic joint hurts.

Population

208 adults with knee OA and/or insomnia plus controls, characterized with polysomnography and quantitative sensory testing

Intervention

Poor sleep efficiency (observed)

Comparator

Good sleepers

Limitations

Cross-sectional design cannot establish direction of causation; pain-processing outcomes, not cartilage structure.