Sensory functions in the foot soles in victims of generalized torture, in victims also beaten under the feet (falanga) and in healthy controls – A blinded study using quantitative sensory testing

Table 1 Right vs. left feet similarities regarding pain characteristics and sensory functions for the 32 torture victims and the 14 controls

	Pain intensity VAS	Pain area % of foot sole	MDT target force	CDT	WDT	CPT	HPT	PPT	Wind-up at 0.3 Hz	Wind-up at 1.0 Hz
Torture victims right/left feet
Pearson correlation (p-value)	0.798 (<0.001)	0.730 (<0.001)	0.525 (0.002)	0.847 (<0.001)	0.783 (<0.001)	0.809 (<0.001)	0.738 (<0.001)	0.818 (<0.001)	0.036 (0.053)	0.724 (<0.001)
Student’s t-test p-value	0.104	0.229	0.108	0.386	0.281	0.413	0.315	0.529	0.215	0.088
Controls right/left feet
Pearson correlation (p-value)			0.841 (<0.001)	0.824 (<0.001)	0.550 (0.041)	0.817 (<0.001)	0.726 (0.003)	0.920 (<0.001)	0.643 (0.013)	0.944 (<0.001)
Student’s t-test p-value			0.170	0.897	0.312	0.065	0.646	0.147	0.981	0.158

VAS, visual analogue scale; MDT, mechanical detection threshold; CDT, cold detection threshold; WDT, warm detection threshold; CPT, cold pain threshold; HPT, heat pain threshold; PPT, pressure pain threshold; Wind-up mm at 0.3 Hz (mean pre/post difference in pain intensity VAS mm after wind-up stimulation at 0.3 Hz); Wind-up mm at 1.0 Hz (mean pre/post difference in pain intensity VAS mm after wind-up stimulation at 1.0 Hz).

ISSN: 1472-698X