Laser heat hyperalgesia is not a feature of non‐specific chronic low back pain

Abstract

The results are in contrast to previous studies showing hypersensitivity to different experimental noxious stimuli (e.g., contact heat). We argue that these discrepancies may be due to low spatial and temporal summation within the central nervous system following laser heat stimulation. Our results indicate important methodological differences between laser heat and thermode stimulation that should be taken into account when interpreting results, such as from thermal quantitative sensory testing.

Cortical dynamics of movement‐evoked pain in chronic low back pain

“…Conventional approaches to understanding brain function in chronic pain using EEG include resting state and experimental pain protocols (Sarnthein et al 2006;Franz et al 2014;Vossen et al 2015;González-Roldán et al 2016;Ta Dinh et al 2019). These approaches have been effective in many chronic pain conditions, but less so in cLBP cohorts where between-group differences are more challenging to identify (Franz et al 2014;Schouppe et al 2019). To address this issue we developed a novel experimental protocol that combined high-density EEG with a full-body reaching task (Thomas & France, 2007;.…”

Are There Abnormalities in Peripheral and Central Components of Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain?

“…Rossi et al ( 2003 ) provoked tonic pain within the territory under investigation at the upper extremity, whereas we investigated the upper extremity in CLBP patients, i.e., in a non-affected region. Similarly, a study of laser-evoked potentials demonstrated no differences between CLBP patients and healthy subject also within the affected region (Franz et al, 2014 ) in the affected territory of the skin. Obviously, different submodalities of the somatosensory system seems to be influenced differentially by experimentally induced pain and chronic pain.…”

The impact of the stimulation method on differences in pain thresholds and brain responses between chronic pain patients and healthy controls

“…What are the differences between these studies and the study by Franz et al. ()? Especially important is the distinction of different pain disorders with localized pain in chronic back pain and wide spread pain in fibromyalgia.…”

“…In this issue you will find a paper by Franz et al. () titled ‘Laser heat hyperalgesia is not a feature of non‐specific chronic low back pain’. In this study, 16 patients with chronic back pain and 16 healthy controls were stimulated with noxious laser heat.…”