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Updated: Oct 11, 2025
Dynamic Quantitative Sensory Testing to Characterize Central Pain Processing
Published on: February 16, 2017
Central sensitization in axial spondyloarthritis: An explorative study with quantitative sensory testing and clinical
Feyza Nur Yücel1, Mehmet Tuncay Duruöz2
1PMR Department, Marmara University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.
Objectives:
To evaluate the central sensitization (CS) and the related parameters in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).
Methods:
Quantitative sensory testing (QST) which consists of pressure pain threshold (PPT), temporal summation (TS), and conditioned pain modulation (CPM) were applied to the participants. Disease activity, functional status, sleep quality, pain, depression, and fatigue were assessed. Patients were divided as the ones with and without CS according to the central sensitization inventory (CSI) and the results were compared.
Results:
One hundred patients and 50 controls were recruited. Sixty axSpA patients had CS. When QST results were compared between the patient and control groups, all PPT scores were found lower (p < 0.05) in patients. Regarding the comparison of the patients with and without CS, sacroiliac, and trapezius PPT scores were found lower in the patients with CS (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between groups in TS values (p > 0.05). All investigated comorbidities were found to be significantly more frequent (p < 0.001) in the patients with CS.
Conclusions:
CS and related comorbidities were found to be increased in axSpA patients. This increase should be taken into consideration in the management of these patients.
