Thermal and mechanical sensory and pain testing in healthy students

Several lines of clinical and experimental investigations of a wide variety of painful conditions have suggested ethnic and gender differences in pain perception. In this study we report some findings of cold and heat sensations, thermal pain thresholds, mechanical pressure thresholds and pressure pain thresholds in healthy student volunteers. We did not find any statistical significant differences in thermal assessment. However, we revealed gender differences on the mechanical pressure sensation threshold and the mechanical pressure pain threshold. Our study confirmed significant variability across trials and individuals, which appeared greater at lower heat and mechanical pressure intensities. Additional studies and collecting more data are needed to determine ethnic and gender differences between groups.