TY - JOUR
T1 - Reliability of quantitative sensory tests in a low back pain population
AU - Vuilleumier, Pascal H.
AU - Manresa, José A. Biurrun
AU - Ghamri, Yassine
AU - Mlekusch, Sabine
AU - Siegenthaler, Andreas
AU - Arendt-Nielsen, Lars
AU - Curatolo, Michele
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Reliability is an essential condition for using quantitative sensory tests (QSTs) in research and clinical practice, but information on reliability in patients with chronic pain is sparse. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of different QST in patients with chronic low back pain.METHODS: Eighty-nine patients with chronic low back pain participated in 2 identical experimental sessions, separated by at least 7 days. The following parameters were recorded: pressure pain detection and tolerance thresholds at the toe, electrical pain thresholds to single and repeated stimulation, heat pain detection and tolerance thresholds at the arm and leg, cold pain detection threshold at the arm and leg, and conditioned pain modulation using the cold pressor test.Reliability was analyzed using the coefficient of variation, the coefficient of repeatability, and the intraclass correlation coefficient. It was judged as acceptable or not based primarily on the analysis of the coefficient of repeatability.RESULTS: The reliability of most tests was acceptable. Exceptions were cold pain detection thresholds at the leg and arm.CONCLUSIONS: Most QST measurements have acceptable reliability in patients with chronic low back pain.
AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Reliability is an essential condition for using quantitative sensory tests (QSTs) in research and clinical practice, but information on reliability in patients with chronic pain is sparse. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of different QST in patients with chronic low back pain.METHODS: Eighty-nine patients with chronic low back pain participated in 2 identical experimental sessions, separated by at least 7 days. The following parameters were recorded: pressure pain detection and tolerance thresholds at the toe, electrical pain thresholds to single and repeated stimulation, heat pain detection and tolerance thresholds at the arm and leg, cold pain detection threshold at the arm and leg, and conditioned pain modulation using the cold pressor test.Reliability was analyzed using the coefficient of variation, the coefficient of repeatability, and the intraclass correlation coefficient. It was judged as acceptable or not based primarily on the analysis of the coefficient of repeatability.RESULTS: The reliability of most tests was acceptable. Exceptions were cold pain detection thresholds at the leg and arm.CONCLUSIONS: Most QST measurements have acceptable reliability in patients with chronic low back pain.
U2 - 10.1097/AAP.0000000000000289
DO - 10.1097/AAP.0000000000000289
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 26222349
SN - 1098-7339
VL - 40
SP - 665
EP - 673
JO - Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
JF - Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
IS - 6
ER -