Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026
A Protocol of Manual Tests to Measure Sensation and Pain in Humans
Published on: December 19, 2016
Validation of the English language pain sensitivity questionnaire
Alethia Baldwin Sellers1, Ruth Ruscheweyh, Bernard Joseph Kelley
1From the *Department of Anesthesiology, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL; †Department of Neurology, University of Munich, Munich, Germany; and ‡Department of Anesthesiology, Charles George VA Medical Center, Asheville, NC.
Background And Objectives:
The Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ) is predictive of pain-related responses to experimental stimuli in German-speaking individuals. Here, we explored the validation of the English translation of the PSQ (PSQ-E).
Methods:
One hundred thirty-six patients scheduled to undergo a low back interventional procedure completed the PSQ-E and other questionnaires including the Brief Pain Inventory. Pain ratings on a visual analog scale (VAS) were obtained following 2 standardized injections of subcutaneous lidocaine (VAS 1, infiltration in hand; VAS 2, infiltration of procedural site). The VAS measures were compared with the PSQ-E data and other inventories using linear regression analysis with stepwise selection of variables.
Results:
The PSQ-E properties were in all respects similar to those of the original German PSQ. VAS 1 magnitude was predicted by PSQ-E-minor (r = 0.26, P < 0.01). VAS 2 magnitude was predicted by PSQ-E-minor (r = 0.34, P < 0.001), and the prediction was significantly enhanced by further inclusion of the Brief Pain Inventory interference score (total r = 0.40, P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
The study demonstrated that a significant correlation exists between the PSQ-E and clinically relevant pain ratings. This study validates the PSQ-E both in terms of measuring pain sensitivity and as possible means of recognizing patients with high pain sensitivity. Defining this subset of patients may have clinical utility in the future.
