Kosaku Aoyagi, PT, PhD

About

Biography

I am Kosaku Aoyagi, PT, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. I specialize in chronic pain, including knee osteoarthritis pain and chronic low back pain. My research focuses on understanding the complex mechanisms that shape the chronic pain experience and developing targeted, nonpharmacological strategies to improve pain and function.

As a physical therapist, rehabilitation scientist, and clinical pain researcher, I study chronic pain through a multidimensional lens. My work examines central pain mechanisms using quantitative sensory testing, as well as autonomic dysregulation, psychological and behavioral factors, sleep, physical activity and social determinants of health. By integrating these perspectives beyond the local pathology, I aim to better understand how pain develops and persists across diverse populations.

My research program leverages observational studies, clinical epidemiology, large data sets and clinical trials. I work with major collaborative data sets, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Multicenter Osteoarthritis (MOST) Study and the NIH All of Us Research Program, to identify pain phenotypes, risk factors and disparities. This work supports more individualized approaches to chronic pain management and helps identify opportunities for improving health equity.

In my ongoing clinical research, I evaluate rehabilitation-based and neuromodulatory interventions, including exercise-induced hypoalgesia and transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation, as approaches to managing knee osteoarthritis pain. Early findings suggest that mechanism-based, nonpharmacological treatments are both feasible and promising for improving outcomes in individuals with chronic pain.

Ultimately, my goal is to advance precision rehabilitation by identifying clinically meaningful pain phenotypes and translating these insights into scalable, targeted interventions. Through this work, I aim to improve pain assessment and guide more personalized treatment strategies that enhance quality of life for people living with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Credentials

Research