Tactile thresholds are preserved yet complex sensory function is impaired over the lumbar spine of chronic non-specific low back pain patients: a preliminary investigation

The effect of chronic low back pain on tactile suppression during back movements

“…Although this effect was only borderline significant, it may suggest that the chronic low back pain group had a lower tactile threshold. This finding is at odds with a number of other studies showing either no altered tactile thresholds (Moseley, 2008, Puta et al, 2013and Wand et al, 2010, or even increased tactile thresholds in the back (Blumenstiel et al, 2011), and a recent demonstration of tactile neglect-like dysfunction in the back (Moseley et al, 2012). The reason for this discrepancy is unclear, although differences in stimulation methods and threshold procedures may play a role, certainly when taking into account the inconsistent effects across somatosensory submodalities reported in some of these studies (Blumenstiel et al, 2011 andPuta et al, 2013).…”

Deep Spatial Discrimination in the Lumbar Spine

“…The threshold for two-point-discrimination in the skin over the lumbar area has been found to be around 44-55 mm in healthy volunteers [1][2][3]. However, patients with painful conditions of the ankle, knee or wrist can often localize the deep pain origin rather well, why deep spatial discrimination might be as good as the cutaneous discrimination.…”

“…Spatial discrimination in the skin has been found to be rather crude in the lumbar area when tested by two-pointdiscrimination (TPD) in normal subjects [1] and to be even poorer in chronic back pain patients than in normal volunteers [2,3]. To our knowledge there is no report concerning spatial discrimination in deeper structures of the lumbar spine.…”

Movement restriction does not modulate sensory and perceptual effects of exercise-induced arm pain

“…This includes alterations in sensory perception, such as increased perceptual and decreased pain thresholds (Chien et al 2008;Kavchak et al 2012;Puta et al 2013), as well as deficits in tactile acuity (i.e. the smallest distance between two points at which a person can tell that they are being touched by two points and not one) (Catley et al 2014;Luomajoki and Moseley 2011;Moseley 2008;Stanton et al 2013;Wand et al 2010). Evidence also suggests disruptions in motor imagery performance (i.e.…”

“…In shoulder pain, participants' sensitivity to a suprathreshold heat stimulus is associated with clinical pain intensity (Valencia et al 2011). However, in participants with chronic low back pain (LBP) or knee osteoarthritis, tactile acuity and motor imagery performance, were not related to pain duration or intensity (Stanton et al 2013;Wand et al 2010).…”