Pain (sharp/dull)

Which side do you test first?

Unaffected side

How many times and where do you test? What order?

5x on each area

Sharp/dull in random order

Fingertips

How should you demonstrate

first with showing the client how its done with eyes open then asking them to close their eyes

Hyperalgesia is

a condition characterized by an increased sensitivity to pain, where normally innocuous or mildly painful stimuli are perceived as more intense or unbearable. 

intact score

5/5 correct

Diminished

1-4/5 correct

absent score

0/5 correct

procedure

• Using a single-use golf tee or an opened paper clip, assess the amount of pressure required to elicit a pain response on the uninvolved hand or plantar foot. This is the amount of pressure that the examiner will use on the involved side.

• Alternate randomly between the sharp and dull sides of the golf tee or paper clip and ensure that each spot has at least one sharp and one dull application (see Figs. 23.5 and 23.10). Each application of pressure should last 1 to 1.5 seconds.

• Repeat five times total, using sharp or dull in random order.