Doctor, why does my hand hurt? The nature, course and treatment of pain in hand osteoarthritis

Meulen, C. van der (2026)

Doctoral Thesis

Pain is a key symptom in hand osteoarthritis, which remains difficult to treat. This thesis investigates progression of pain and radiographic signs in hand OA, types of pain in hand OA, potential treatment options and measurements tools for use in hand OA. Finally, two new studies to further increase our knowledge are described.

• Hand
• Osteoarthritis
• Pain
• Imaging
• Clinimetrics
• Epidemiology

• All authors: Meulen, C. van der
• Supervisor: Kloppenburg, M.; Rosendaal, F.R.
• Committee: Huizinga, T.W.J.; Lems, W.F.; Berkhout, M.J.L.; Runhaar, J.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Faculty of Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden University
• Date: 2026-01-23