Which symptom is commonly associated with neuropathic pain in osteoarthritis during sensitization and centralization?

• A. Burning/paresthesia
• B. Pins and needles
• C. Mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia
• D. Paroxysmal pain

Answer: (A)

Neuropathic pain comes from nerve dysfunction, so its sensations are often sensory in quality rather than purely nociceptive. In osteoarthritis with sensitization and centralization, the nervous system becomes hyperexcitable and can generate spontaneous or amplified pain that feels neuropathic. Burning pain together with paresthesias (tingling or prickling) is a classic neuropathic descriptor and is commonly reported when central sensitization is at play. While hyperalgesia indicates increased sensitivity to stimuli, and paroxysmal stabbing pain can occur in some neuropathic conditions, the combination of burning with paresthesias most reliably signals a neuropathic pain pattern in this context.