Neuropathic Pain Components Are Common in Patients With Painful Cervical Radiculopathy, but Not in Patients With Nonspecific Neck-Arm Pain

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate, using quantitative sensory testing (QST) parameters and the painDETECT (PD-Q) screening questionnaire, the presence of neuropathic pain (NeP) in patients with unilateral painful cervical radiculopathy (CxRAD) and in patients with unilateral nonsp...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tampin, Brigitte, Slater, Helen, Briffa, Kathy
Format: Journal Article
Published: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/31767
_version_ 1848753474242609152
author Tampin, Brigitte
Slater, Helen
Briffa, Kathy
author_facet Tampin, Brigitte
Slater, Helen
Briffa, Kathy
author_sort Tampin, Brigitte
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate, using quantitative sensory testing (QST) parameters and the painDETECT (PD-Q) screening questionnaire, the presence of neuropathic pain (NeP) in patients with unilateral painful cervical radiculopathy (CxRAD) and in patients with unilateral nonspecific neck-arm pain associated with heightened nerve mechanosensitivity (NSNAP). Methods: All patients completed the PD-Q before QST. QST was performed bilaterally in the maximal pain area and the affected dermatome in 23 patients with painful C6 or C7 radiculopathy and in 8 patients with NSNAP following a C6/7 dermatomal pain distribution.Results: Patients with CxRAD demonstrated a significant loss of sensory function in mechanical (P≤0.021) and vibration sense (P≤0.003) on the symptomatic side compared with the asymptomatic side in both tested body regions and in the dermatome reduced cold detection (P=0.021) and pressure pain sensitivity (P=0.005), findings consistent with nerve root damage. These sensory alterations in the maximal pain area/symptomatic side are confirmative for the presence of NeP. In contrast to these QST data, only 30% of patients with CxRAD demonstrated a NeP component according to the PD-Q score. In patients with NSNAP, a significant side-to-side difference was demonstrated for warm detection threshold in the dermatome (P=0.030). The PD-Q score indicated that NeP components were unlikely in this group. Discussion: QST data suggest that NeP is likely to be observed in patients with painful CxRAD, but not in patients with NSNAP.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T08:25:05Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-31767
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T08:25:05Z
publishDate 2013
publisher Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-317672017-09-13T15:22:40Z Neuropathic Pain Components Are Common in Patients With Painful Cervical Radiculopathy, but Not in Patients With Nonspecific Neck-Arm Pain Tampin, Brigitte Slater, Helen Briffa, Kathy quantitative sensory testing neuropathic pain neckarm pain painDETECT cervical radiculopathy Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate, using quantitative sensory testing (QST) parameters and the painDETECT (PD-Q) screening questionnaire, the presence of neuropathic pain (NeP) in patients with unilateral painful cervical radiculopathy (CxRAD) and in patients with unilateral nonspecific neck-arm pain associated with heightened nerve mechanosensitivity (NSNAP). Methods: All patients completed the PD-Q before QST. QST was performed bilaterally in the maximal pain area and the affected dermatome in 23 patients with painful C6 or C7 radiculopathy and in 8 patients with NSNAP following a C6/7 dermatomal pain distribution.Results: Patients with CxRAD demonstrated a significant loss of sensory function in mechanical (P≤0.021) and vibration sense (P≤0.003) on the symptomatic side compared with the asymptomatic side in both tested body regions and in the dermatome reduced cold detection (P=0.021) and pressure pain sensitivity (P=0.005), findings consistent with nerve root damage. These sensory alterations in the maximal pain area/symptomatic side are confirmative for the presence of NeP. In contrast to these QST data, only 30% of patients with CxRAD demonstrated a NeP component according to the PD-Q score. In patients with NSNAP, a significant side-to-side difference was demonstrated for warm detection threshold in the dermatome (P=0.030). The PD-Q score indicated that NeP components were unlikely in this group. Discussion: QST data suggest that NeP is likely to be observed in patients with painful CxRAD, but not in patients with NSNAP. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/31767 10.1097/AJP.0b013e318278d434 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins fulltext
spellingShingle quantitative sensory testing
neuropathic pain
neckarm pain
painDETECT
cervical radiculopathy
Tampin, Brigitte
Slater, Helen
Briffa, Kathy
Neuropathic Pain Components Are Common in Patients With Painful Cervical Radiculopathy, but Not in Patients With Nonspecific Neck-Arm Pain
title Neuropathic Pain Components Are Common in Patients With Painful Cervical Radiculopathy, but Not in Patients With Nonspecific Neck-Arm Pain
title_full Neuropathic Pain Components Are Common in Patients With Painful Cervical Radiculopathy, but Not in Patients With Nonspecific Neck-Arm Pain
title_fullStr Neuropathic Pain Components Are Common in Patients With Painful Cervical Radiculopathy, but Not in Patients With Nonspecific Neck-Arm Pain
title_full_unstemmed Neuropathic Pain Components Are Common in Patients With Painful Cervical Radiculopathy, but Not in Patients With Nonspecific Neck-Arm Pain
title_short Neuropathic Pain Components Are Common in Patients With Painful Cervical Radiculopathy, but Not in Patients With Nonspecific Neck-Arm Pain
title_sort neuropathic pain components are common in patients with painful cervical radiculopathy, but not in patients with nonspecific neck-arm pain
topic quantitative sensory testing
neuropathic pain
neckarm pain
painDETECT
cervical radiculopathy
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/31767