title: Test-retest reliability of thermal quantitative sensory testing on two sites within the L5 dermatome of the lumbar spine and lower extremity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is widely used in human research to investigate the integrity of the sensory function in patients with pain of neuropathic origin, or other causes such as low back pain. Reliability of QST has been evaluated on both sides of the face, hands and feet as well as on the trunk (Th3-L3). In order to apply these tests on other body-parts such as the lower lumbar spine, it is important first to establish reliability on healthy individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate intra-rater reliability of thermal QST in healthy adults, on two sites within the L5 dermatome of the lumbar spine and lower extremity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Test-retest reliability of thermal QST was determined at the L5-level of the lumbar spine and in the same dermatome on the lower extremity in 30 healthy persons under 40 years of age. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Values were compared to normative data, using Z-transformation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean intraindividual differences were small for cold and warm detection thresholds but larger for pain thresholds. ICC values showed excellent reliability for warm detection and heat pain threshold, good-to-excellent reliability for cold pain threshold and fair-to-excellent reliability for cold detection threshold. ICC had large ranges of confidence interval (95%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In healthy adults, thermal QST on the lumbar spine and lower extremity demonstrated fair-to-excellent test-retest reliability.
authors: Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), Health, Murtenstrasse 10, 3008 Bern, Switzerland; University of Health Sciences (HESAV), University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO), Av. de Beaumont 21, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address: iknutti@bluewin.ch.
authors: I A
authors: IA
authors: Knutti
authors: Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital Center (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address: marc.suter@chuv.ch.
authors: M R
authors: MR
authors: Suter
authors: University of Health Sciences (HESAV), University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO), Av. de Beaumont 21, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address: emmanuelle.opsommer@hesav.ch.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Opsommer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000502:physiology*; D008161:Lumbosacral Region / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology*; D013131:Spine / Q000502:physiology*; D013697:Thermosensing / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Pain measurement; Pain threshold; Quantitative sensory testing; Reproducibility of results