Quantitative Sensory Testing data of the AT group and pain-free controls, compared by an analysis of covariance adjusted for age and sex
| Achilles’ location | Elbow location | ||||||
| AT | Controls | MD (95% CI; p value) | AT | Controls | MD (95% CI; p value) | ||
| Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | ||||
| Thermal measures | |||||||
| Cold detection threshold | °C | 26.70 (2.68) | 27.26 (3.75) | −0.10 (−2.41 to 2.20; 0.928) | 30.17 (1.04) | 30.42 (0.92) | −0.17 (−0.96 to 0.61; 0.660) |
| Warm detection threshold | °C | 43.47 (4.51) | 44.09 (3.87) | −0.67 (−3.87 to 2.53; 0.673) | 34.91 (1.36) | 35.04 (2.14) | −0.26 (−1.49 to 0.97; 0.674) |
| Thermal sensory limen | °C | 19.78 (6.71) | 16.72 (4.05) | 1.52 (−2.63 to 5.68; 0.460) | 5.73 (2.81) | 4.52 (2.07) | 1.11 (−0.85 to 3.06; 0.257) |
| Paradoxical heat sensation* | X/3 | 0.87 (1.01) | 0.64 (1.12) | 0.375 | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.09 (0.30) | 0.674 |
| Cold pain threshold | °C | 9.38 (7.58) | 7.87 (5.98) | 1.37 (−4.36 to 7.09; 0.632) | 13.71 (9.68) | 14.85 (8.27) | −1.59 (−8.52 to 5.35; 0.645) |
| Heat pain threshold | °C | 48.52 (2.84) | 48.19 (1.76) | 0.15 (−1.88 to 2.17; 0.885) | 43.88 (4.61) | 43.38 (4.92) | 1.10 (−2.62 to 4.82; 0.552) |
| Mechanical measures | |||||||
| Mechanical detection threshold | g | 1.51 (1.17) | 1.65 (1.71) | −0.49 (−1.32 to 0.33; 0.232) | 0.50 (0.36) | 0.28 (0.19) | 0.23 (−0.01 to 0.48; 0.064) |
| Mechanical pain threshold | g | 191.17 (142.87) | 225.96 (95.98) | −26.55 (−125.47 to 72.36; 0.589) | 272.29 (186.78) | 385.98 (106.12) | −104.30 (−234.65 to 26.06; 0.113) |
| Mechanical pain sensitivity | NPRS† | 0.21 (0.17) | 0.24 (0.22) | −0.03 (−0.17 to 0.12; 0.730) | 0.20 (0.28) | 0.11 (0.12) | 0.09 (−0.11 to 0.30; 0.372) |
| Mechanical allodynia | NPRS† | 0.00 (0.02) | 0.01 (0.01) | −0.00 (−0.01 to 0.01; 0.842) | 0.00 (0.02) | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.00 (− 0.01 to 0.02; 0.788) |
| Wind-up ratio* | 2.71 (1.79) | 2.95 (2.30) | 0.842 | 3.88 (3.64) | 3.37 (2.82) | 0.828 | |
| Vibration disappearance threshold* | X/8 | 7.15 (0.86) | 7.06 (1.23) | 0.914 | 7.23 (0.86) | 7.52 (0.70) | 0.363 |
| Pain pressure threshold | kPa | 414.17 (169.52) | 400.18 (133.04) | 0.86 (−121.96 to 123.67; 0.989) | 376.01 (211.88) | 371.15 (194.64) | −34.70 (−178.67 to 109.28; 0.627) |
Values represent mean (SD).
*Group differences assessed by a Mann-Whitney U test; p value is presented.
†NPRS 0–100.
AT, Achilles tendinopathy; MD, mean differences; NPRS, Numeric Pain Rating Scale.