Pilot Study for Objective Measurement of Pain: Method and Analyses of Basic Factors for Normative Data

Abstract

A plate-pushing task was devised to measure endogenous pain objectively. As normative data, performance of no-pain subjects sustaining a certain level of pressure by a hand over 5 min. was analyzed for sex, dominance of hands, transference to the opposite hand, and effect of repetition. Analysis indicated that order of dominance of hands was efficient and improvement along repetition of five times within three weeks was observed regarding the SD of 201 digits of pressure level. Also, analyses based on histograms of percents of deviation from a standard level and transitional profiles of pressure level were constructed. They were considered to be other useful aspects. Lastly, the case of a subject who had pain was studied. The task seems a promising means of objective measurement of pain to contrast performance accompanied by pain with one without pain.