Genetics are behind some people feeling greater sensitivity to pain than others, according to a new study.

Scientists at Cambridge University have claimed that the gene SCN9A determines how much pain people feel, after studying the DNA of 578 osteoarthritis sufferers.

The conclusion - published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - was that the gene is more active in those people who feel a lot of pain, due to differences in its protein structure.

People who endure more arthritic pain than average may find that using a cheap ultrasound machine helps to ease the discomfort of their condition.

Another study this month suggested that pain in adulthood is likely to be linked with poor behaviour in childhood.

Researchers from the University of Aberdeen found that those who displayed severe behavioural problems in childhood were more than twice as likely to suffer chronic pain in later life.

The findings were published in the journal Rheumatology.