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Updated: Jul 15, 2025
Dynamic Quantitative Sensory Testing to Characterize Central Pain Processing
Published on: February 16, 2017
Quantitative Dynamic Allodynograph-A Standardized Measure for Testing Dynamic Mechanical Allodynia in Chronic Limb
Noy Turgeman Dahan1,2, Jean-Jacques Vatine3, Irit Weissman-Fogel4
1Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health Professions, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo 69978, Israel.
Background:
Dynamic mechanical allodynia (DMA) is both a symptom and a central sensitization sign, yet no standardized method for quantifying the DMA area has been reported. This study aimed to establish psychometric properties for Quantitative Dynamic Allodynography (QDA), a newly developed protocol measuring the DMA area as a percentage of the body surface.
Methods:
Seventy-eight patients aged 18-65 diagnosed with chronic complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) participated in this study. Test-retest reliability was conducted twice, one week apart (N = 20), and inter-rater (N = 3) reliability was conducted on 10 participants. Disease severity (CRPS Severity Score, CSS), pain intensity (VAS), and quality of life (SF-36) measures were utilized to test construct validity.
Results:
High inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.96, p < 0.001) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.98, p < 0.001) were found. Furthermore, the QDA score was found to be correlated with the CSS (r = 0.47, p < 0.001), VAS (r = 0.37, p < 0.001), and the SF-36 physical health total (r = -0.47, p < 0.001) scores.
Conclusion:
The QDA is the first developed reliable and valid protocol for measuring DMA in a clinical setting and may be used as a diagnostic and prognostic measure in clinics and in research, advancing the pain precision medicine approach.
