REPEATABILITY OF MEASUREMENT OF TENDERNESS IN THE NECK SHOULDER REGION BY A DOLORIMETER AND MANUAL PALPATION

Objective: The aim of this study was to test the repeatability of dolo rimeter measurements in subjects with and without neck-shoulder sympto ms and interobserver agreement in manual palpation. The second aim was to analyze how subjects, measurers, and the order of attempt influenc ed the repeatability of pain threshold (PT) measurements. Design: Repe ated measurements in 100 female volunteers who were office workers. Se tting: Interobserver repeatability was tested by examining 60 female o ffice employees twice during the same day, and intraobserver repeatabi lity was tested by examining 40 female office employees at an interval of 2 days. Patients: Their mean age was 38 (20-55) years; height was 163 (149-174) cm; and weight was 60 (44-115) kg. Main Outcome Measures : PT measurement by dolorimeter and manual palpation findings of four defined palpation points. Results: The inter- and intraobserver repeat ability coefficients of the dolorimeter varied from 0.87 to 0.65; they were lower in subjects with neck-shoulder symptoms (DS) than in subje cts with no or occasional symptoms (NOS). The sensitivity and specific ity of dolorimeter for neck-shoulder symptoms was poor. The interobser ver repeatability of manual palpation at trigger areas of trapezius an d levator muscles varied from 0. 15 to 0.62. Conclusions: The repeatab ility of dolorimeter is good, but sensitivity and specificity for neck -shoulder symptoms are poor. The dolorimeter is a good device for meas urement of cervicobrachial tenderness when the subject acts as his or her own control. The repeatability of manual palpation is poor.