Researchers from Massanchusetts General Hospital have devised a simple bedside test that can effectively diagnose chronic back pain.

According to the study, the new test is better than currently used techniques in identifying specific symptoms and signs that could signify underlying pain mechanisms.  "Currently clinicians measure pain only by asking how bad it is, using scales from mild to moderate to severe or asking patients to rate their pain from 1 to 10," said Dr. Joachis Scholz, of the Neural Plasticity Research Group in the Department of Anesthesia and Critical Case, lead author of the study.

"This approach misses key characteristics that reflect the mechanisms causing the pain," Scholz added.

By evaluating individual components of pain the new method allows the creation of a "pain fingerprint" for each patient.  During the study, the investigators enrolled a group of 187 patients with chronic pain caused by known condition.  

These participants received an extensive medical history and physical examination, including 23 simple tests that could be conducted at the bedside or in an office visit.  With the help of standardized Evaluation of pain, the researchers identified distinct association partners of pain related symptoms and signs.
(For more details visit Times of India Apl.8 Chennai edition.)