A comparison of pressure pain thresholds in different tissues and body regions. Long-term reliability of pressure algometry in healthy volunteers

Abstract

Pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) were measured in 12 healthy female volunteers with a hand-held electronic pressure algometer (Somedic). The PPTs over 30 points, mainly located on the trunk, were measured in a randomized order. The measurements were repeated after one week and again 10-13 weeks later. Three spots over nerve tissue had lower PPTs than nearby muscle. There were no consistent differences between muscle and periosteum within the same region. Overall there was a tendency for points in the nape region to have the lowest PPT, and those in the lumbosacral region to have the highest. The shoulder points had intermediate values. The interindividual differences were great. There was no difference between the mean PPTs from the first session and those from the second session. However, at the third session, 10 weeks later, the average PPT value was substantially higher than in the previous sessions.