The Role of Quantitative Sensory Testing in the Evaluation of Musculoskeletal Pain Conditions

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a noninvasive method of assessing sensory and pain perception that has been used in the past 30 years primarily for analysis of cutaneous and mucosal perception. In recent years, several published studies have demonstrated that QST may be useful in the analysis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current rheumatology reports 2010-12, Vol.12 (6), p.455-461
Main Authors: Pavlaković, Goran, Petzke, Frank
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Humans
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Musculoskeletal Diseases - classification
Musculoskeletal Diseases - diagnosis
Musculoskeletal Diseases - etiology
Neurologic Examination
Pain Measurement - methods
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - diagnosis
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - physiopathology
Physical Stimulation
Rheumatology
Sensory Thresholds - physiology
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Summary:Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a noninvasive method of assessing sensory and pain perception that has been used in the past 30 years primarily for analysis of cutaneous and mucosal perception. In recent years, several published studies have demonstrated that QST may be useful in the analysis of painful musculoskeletal disorders as well. Based on the results of these studies, it can be postulated that QST may be useful in the analysis of the pathogenesis, classification, and differential diagnosis of musculoskeletal disorders. However, due to the diverse ethiopathogenetic basis of these disorders, a broad range of QST test batteries may be necessary to analyze the various musculoskeletal disease entities. This review analyzes published studies on this subject and summarizes current information on altered sensory and pain perception available for some of the most common musculoskeletal disorders. At present, QST remains primarily a research tool but may be useful in differential diagnosis in indicating the presence of central sensitization and for clinical monitoring of disease progression or treatment response.
ISSN:1523-3774
1534-6307
DOI:10.1007/s11926-010-0131-0