Algometry with a clothes peg compared to an electronic pressure algometer: a randomized cross-sectional study in pain patients

Hypersensitivity of the central nervous system is widely present in pain patients and recognized as one of the determinants of chronic pain and disability. Electronic pressure algometry is often used to explore aspects of central hypersensitivity. We hypothesized that a simple pain provocation test with a clothes peg provides information on pain sensitivity that compares meaningfully to that obtained by a well-established electronic pressure algometer. "Clinically meaningful" was defined as a medium (r = 0.3-0.5) or high (r > 0.5) correlation coefficient according to Cohen's conventions.

Correlation Between Sonographic and In Vivo Measurement of A1 Pulleys in Trigger Fingers

The thickness of 210 A1 pulleys of 21 male and female healthy volunteers in two different age groups (20-35 y and 50-70 y) were measured by ultrasound. In a second group, the thickness of 15 diseased A1 pulleys and 15 A1 pulleys of the corresponding other hand of 10 patients with the clinical diagnosis of trigger finger were measured by ultrasound. During open trigger finger release, a strip of A1 pulley was excised and immediately measured using an electronic caliper. The average pulley thickness of healthy volunteers was 0.43-0.47 mm, compared to 0.77-0.79 mm in patients with trigger finger. Based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, a diagnostic cut-off value of the pulley thickness at 0.62 mm was defined in order to differ a trigger finger from a healthy finger (sensitivity and specificity of 85%). The correlation between sonographic and effective intra-operative measurements of pulley thickness was linear and very strong (Pearson coefficient 0.86-0.90). In order to distinguish between healthy and diseased A1 pulleys, 0.62 mm is a simple value to use, which can be applied regardless of age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and height in adults.