Pain perception in patients with intermittent low back pain.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigates if patients with intermittent low back pain (LBP) have a permanently increased pain perception between attacks.


METHODS
A case-controlled study was performed in a university laboratory. Sixteen patients with intermittent LBP in a pain-free phase were recruited from 3 chiropractic practices. These 16 patients were compared with an age- and sex-matched symptom-free control group, who had never had persistent pain syndromes, by applying a standardized algometer stimulus to 8 points on the body and registering the subjects' perceived pain on a 100-mm visual analog pain scale.


RESULTS
No differences in pain perception were found between the 2 groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with intermittent LBP do not seem to have an altered pain perception between attacks, with the possible exception of facilitation on a local segmental spinal cord level.
Rasmussen
Hanne Rytz
HR
Clinical Locomotion Science, IOB, University of Southern Denmark.
Terndrup
Pia Gaarslev
PG
Myburgh
Corrie
C
Grunnet-Nilsson
Niels
N
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold