Methods and materials for determining pain sensitivity and predicting and treating related disorders

A method of treating a somatosensory disorder in a subject having an elevated pain sensitivity, comprising:

• (a) obtaining a DNA sample from the subject having a somatosensory disorder;
• (b) determining from the DNA sample a genotype of the subject with respect to a COMT gene, by detecting either a G or A nucleotide at the rs6269 SNP, detecting either a C or T nucleotide at the rs4633 SNP, detecting either a G or C nucleotide at the rs4818 SNP, and detecting either an A or G nucleotide at the rs4680 SNP, wherein the COMT genotype is selected from a low pain sensitive haplotype (LPS), average pain sensitive haplotype (APS), high pain sensitive haplotype (HPS), or a combination thereof;
• and
• (c) identifying subjects with an elevated pain sensitivity based on the COMT genotype, wherein subjects with a APS or HPS haplotype have an elevated pain sensitivity, and subjects without a APS or HPS haplotype do not have an elevated pain sensitivity;
• (d) administering to subjects with an elevated pain sensitivity an effective amount of an ADRB2 modulator that is an antagonist;
• and thereby
• (e) treating the somatosensory disorder in the subjects having an elevated pain sensitivity,
• wherein the somatosensory disorder is temporomandibular joint disorder, and wherein the subject has a genotype that is HPS/HPS, and the ADRB2 modulator is propranolol.