Quantitative sensory testing of pain hypersensitivity in chronic pain patients

Chronic pain is known to be a major influence in a patient*s life. Chronic pain
can lead to pain hypersensitivity, however still little is known about the
underlying mechanism and makes it difficult to determine an appropriate
treatment. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a psychophysical method used
to quantify somatosensory function and to test the integrity of the peripheral
and central nervous system. Assessment of nociceptive thresholds (e.g.,
detection threshold or pain tolerance thresholds) using various modalities
(e.g., electrical, thermal or mechanical) allows observation of sensory
processing under normal and pathophysiological conditions. The aim of this
pilot study is to get insight in the prevalence of pain hypersensitivity in
pain patients compared to healthy subjects. We will examine the feasibility of
this approach which is intended to be used in a larger scale study, focused on
subject characteristics and the relation with sensitization phenomena.

The primary goal of this pilot is to study the chronic pain patient population
with respect to the prevalence of central sensitization measured with eQST
measurements.

Single-centre, prospective, observational pilot study.

There are no risks associated with the study, given the non-invasive nature of
the measurements.