Intra- and Inter-Rater Reliability of Three Measurements for Assessing Tactile Acuity in Individuals with Chronic Low Back Pain

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the intra- and inter-rater reliability of three measurements on painful and pain-free sides in participants with chronic low back pain (CLBP) at different ages. METHODS: We recruited 60 participants with CLBP and divided them equally into a group of younger participants with chronic low back pain (18 ≤ age ≤ 35, Y-CLBP) and a group of older participants with chronic low back pain (36 ≤ age ≤ 65, O-CLBP). Participants were assessed by two testers within the same day (10 min interval), and one of the testers repeated the assessment program 24 h later. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess reliability. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between tactile acuity and age, waistline, and pain-related variables. RESULTS: In the Y-CLBP group, the intra-rater reliability of two-point discrimination (TPD), point-to-point test (PTP), and two-point estimation (TPE) on the painful and pain-free sides was good (ICC range: 0.74–0.85), whereas the inter-rater reliability of TPD, PTP, and TPE on the painful and pain-free sides was moderate to good (ICC range: 0.65–0.76). In the O-CLBP group, the intra-rater reliability of TPD, PTP, and TPE on the painful and pain-free sides was good (ICC range: 0.75–0.85), whereas the inter-rater reliability of TPD, PTP, and TPE on the painful and pain-free sides was moderate to good (ICC range: 0.70–0.85). Age, waistline, duration of pain, maximum pain, general pain, and unpleasant score caused by pain were positively correlated with tactile acuity thresholds (D-TPD, A-TPD, PTP, and TPE) (r > 0.365, p < 0.05). When BMI was controlled, age, waistline, and pain-related variables were positively correlated with tactile acuity thresholds (r > 0.388; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In the participants of Y-CLBP and O-CLBP groups, TPD, PTP, and TPE have moderate-to-good intra- and inter-rater reliability on the painful and pain-free sides of the fifth lumbar vertebrae.