BIO

My name is Ellen Gomez and I am currently a sophomore at Florida State University. I am originally from New Jersey until I moved to Tallahassee for college. Here at FSU, I participate in many other organizations besides UROP like the FSU Honors program, Gamma Phi Beta sorority, and FSU intramural sports. Furthermore, in research, I am currently interested in working on projects that have to do with the human body and understanding how the body works better. Research in this field will be beneficial for my future career because one day I want to become a physical therapist.

Altered Pain Threshold in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain

Abstract

Pain is a ubiquitous sensation experienced by a majority of individuals during their lifetimes. Pain can lead to discomfort in various areas of the body, such as the back. In fact, low back pain is one of the most prevalent types of pain. Resultantly, this study aims to investigate pain by using Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) to determine differences between low back pain participants and healthy participants. To conduct this study, participants with low back pain and those without low back pain were recruited to have QST performed on their body. Researchers measured the subject's cold pain threshold (CPT), heat pain threshold (HTP), and pressure pain threshold (PTT). Each participant was initially tested on their forearm to familiarize them with the distinct sensations invoked by the QST measurements and tools. Then, each participant was tested on the most painful area of their back. The CPT, HPT, and PPT tests were performed three times each. After data collection, the SPSS software was used to analyze the data. The results of this study illustrated that individuals with low back pain demonstrated a higher pain severity and pain sensitivity. Also, the lower back pain group had a higher cold pain threshold (CPT)(p<0.001) while on the other hand had a lower pressure pain threshold (PPT)(p<0.001). This is significant because this data can connect and fill the knowledge for other researchers studying low back pain. Furthermore, such results could lead to determining the cause of low back pain and implementing future healthcare treatments.

Keywords: Pain Threshold, Low Back Pain, Quantitative Sensory Testing