Table 1 Clinical and evoked pain data in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) vs. healthy participants.

From: Assessment of central pain sensitization in chronic low back pain and its utility in diagnosis and prediction of clinical severity

Variables

Patients with CLBP (n = 40) Mean ± SD

Healthy participants (n = 40) Mean ± SD

t, U or χ2

p

η2, PS or φc

Catastrophizing (CSQ-Cat)

10.85 ± 6.77

3.05 ± 5.59

5.62

 < 0.001

0.29

State anxiety (STAI-S)

16.98 ± 11.44

10.43 ± 5.08

3.31

0.002

0.12

Sleep satisfaction (OSQ-Sat)

3.63 ± 1.92

5.18 ± 1.78

 − 3.75

 < 0.001

0.15

Anxiety (HADS-A)

7.73 ± 5.02

5.43 ± 3.78

2.32

0.023

0.06

Depression (HADS-D)

4.30 ± 4.56

2.28 ± 2.41

2.48

0.016

0.07

Current pain intensity (0–10 VAS)

3.50 ± 2.39

0.60 ± 1.45

6.57

 < 0.001

0.36

Pain threshold (Kg)

3.63 ± 2.11

3.72 ± 1.60

 − 0.21

0.833

 < 0.01

Pain tolerance (Kg)

9.46 ± 2.48

9.29 ± 2.43

0.30

0.760

 < 0.01

Pressure SREP (Kg/cm2)a

5.45 ± 2.02

5.46 ± 1.54

 − 0.02

0.984

 < 0.01

1st SREP pain rating (0–10 VAS)

3.16 ± 1.85

3.18 ± 2.25

 − 0.03

0.974

 < 0.01

SREP

0.78 ± 1.05

 − 0.44 ± 1.10

5.07

 < 0.001

0.25

1st TSP pain rating (0–10 NRS)

0.50 (0.00–1.75)b

1.00 (0.00–1.50)b

731.5

0.493

0.46

TSP

0.00 (0.00–0.50)b

0.00 (0.00–0.50)b

742.0

0.555

0.46

Analgesics use, n (%)

29 (72.5%)

2 (5%)

38.39

 < 0.001

0.48

Opiates use, n (%)

15 (37.5%)

0 (0%)

18.46

 < 0.001

0.23

Anxiolytics use, n (%)

25 (62.5%)

1 (2.5%)

32.82

 < 0.001

0.41

Antidepresants use, n (%)

9 (22.5%)

2 (5%)

5.17

0.023

0.06

  1. Group means ± standard deviations, group comparisons (t, U or χ2, and p) and effect sizes (η2, PS or φc).
  2. Abbreviations. CLBP = chronic low back pain CSI = Central Sensitization Inventory; CSQ-Cat = pain catastrophizing subscale of Coping Strategies Questionnaire; HADS = Hospital Anxiety (A) and Depression (D) Scale; MPQ = McGill Pain Questionnaire; NA = not applicable; NRS = Numeric Rating Scale; OSQ-Sat = Satisfaction subscale of Oviedo Sleep Questionnaire; PS = probability of superiority; SREP = slowly repeated evoked pain sensitization, derived from the difference between 9th and 1st SREP pain rating; STAI-S = State subscale of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; TSP = Temporal Summation of Pain response, derived from the average difference between 10th and 1st pain rating in the two TSP series; VAS = visual analogic scale.
  3. (a)Individually calibrated stimulus pressure for the SREP procedure Kg/cm2.
  4. (b)Median (interquartile range) values instead of mean ± SD for TSP-related variables (non-normal distribution).
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