Intra‑ and inter‑session reliability of electrical detection and pain thresholds of cutaneous and muscle primary afferents in the lower back of healthy individuals

This study investigates the reliability of using electrical stimulation to measure pain thresholds in the skin and muscles of the lower back. The researchers compared these electrical measurements to standard sensory tests to see how consistent the results were within the same session and between different sessions. The findings suggest that electrical stimulation can be a useful tool for examining deep tissue pain, but measurements should be taken within the same session for best results.

• 1
  Excellent intra-session reliability was observed for cutaneous and intramuscular electrical stimulations.
• 2
  Inter-session reliabilities were good for mechanical detection, mechanical pain, and pressure pain thresholds but poor for electrical stimulations.
• 3
  A medium to strong relationship was found between electrical and mechanical/pressure pain thresholds.