About
Pain is a prevailing and common symptom across rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD). Clinically, acute and chronic pain are distinct, are managed differently, and have differences in outcomes. The majority of people who experience acute pain tend to improve spontaneously or under treatment, but some individuals progress to a chronic pain that can cause considerable physical, emotional, and socioeconomic burdens. To identify preventive or effectively tailored interventions, standardized pain assessment in clinical trials is essential to making precise estimates on the effectiveness of interventions.
Current Stage in the OMERACT Process
The Pain Working Group is finalizing a consensus definition of nociplastic pain in inflammatory arthritis. Once complete, they will begin identifying and evaluating candidate instruments.
Latest Update
OMERACT 2025 Conference Highlights
Fellow Poster: Our OMERACT Fellows, Sharmila Khot and Chris Djurtoft, presented posters summarizing the current state of our work, sparking excellent conversations about next steps and collaborations.
👉 View the poster here
Lightning Talk: In a rapid-fire session, our team shared an upcoming teaser of the Special Interest Group (SIG) session taking place during the conference.
👉 Watch the lightning talk here
Closing Plenary Talk: We were also featured in the Closing Plenary, where we highlighted the activities of the (SIG).
👉 Watch the presentation here
Looking Ahead
The group is working toward developing consensus on the definition of nociplastic pain in the context of inflammatory arthropathies. Once consensus is reached, we will begin Instrument Selection Part A by identifying and evaluating candidate instruments. This work will provide clarity in an area of growing importance for patients and researchers alike.
Meet the Team
Ernest Choy, UK
Chair
Philip Mease, USA
Chair
Lee Simon, USA
Chair
Sharmila Khot, UK
Emerging Leader
Mary Cowern, UK
Patient Research Partner
Recent Publications
- Pickles, Tim, et al. “Exploring the Complexities of Pain Phenotypes: OMERACT 2023 Chronic Pain Working Group Workshop.” Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, vol. 64, 152342, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semarthrit.2023.152342.
- Chiarotto, Alessandro, et al. “Pain Measurement in Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases: Where To Go from Here? Report from a Special Interest Group at OMERACT 2018.” Journal of Rheumatology, vol. 46, no. 10, 2019, pp. 1355–59, https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.181099.