Vibration reduces thermal pain in adjacent dermatomes.

Spatial summation of thermal pain crosses dermatomal boundaries. In this study we examined whether a vibrational stimulus applied to adjacent or remote dermatomes affects thermal pain perception to the volar forearm. Contact heat at 2 degrees C above thermal pain threshold was applied, and a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used for pain assessment. We found a significant decrease in mean VAS rating when simultaneous vibratory stimuli were given to the dermatome adjacent to that receiving thermal stimulation, or to the same dermatome on the contralateral side. There was no change in VAS rating when vibration was given two or more dermatomes away. Vibration within the same dermatome also did not yield a significant change in VAS rating, possibly due to difficulty in magnitude assessment of stimuli given simultaneously within a single dermatome. The finding that vibration can reduce pain across dermatomes may allow for more flexible design of stimulation therapy for pain.