Table 2.
Mean and SD for primary outcomes
| Measures | Sham group (n = 20) | Active group (n = 20) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | Post-tDCS | Baseline | Post-tDCS | |
| HPTh, arm, °C | 39.97 (5.01) | 40.57 (4.04) | 40.89 (4.53) | 42.39 (3.64) |
| HPTh, knee, °C | 40.51 (4.69) | 40.18 (4.34) | 41.84 (4.38) | 42.62 (3.20) |
| HPTo, arm, °C | 45.24 (3.18) | 45.54 (3.22) | 45.46 (3.64) | 46.38 (3.24) |
| HPTo, knee, °C | 45.04 (3.59) | 45.42 (3.50) | 46.47 (3.01) | 47.07 (2.26) |
| Punctate pain, hand | 34.53 (26.20) | 43.80 (32.43) | 29.80 (26.18) | 31.58 (24.15) |
| Punctate pain, patella | 46.60 (25.99) | 50.73 (33.61) | 45.85 (31.94) | 42.23 (26.87) |
| PPT, lateral knee, kgf | 2.87 (1.29) | 3.22 (1.17) | 2.83 (1.33) | 3.36 (1.19) |
| PPT, medial knee, kgf | 2.63 (1.30) | 2.98 (1.10) | 2.61 (1.13) | 3.21 (1.08) |
| PPT, quadriceps, kgf | 2.95 (1.21) | 3.16 (1.15) | 3.25 (1.30) | 3.69 (1.28) |
| PPT, trapezius, kgf | 2.32 (1.01) | 2.81 (0.91) | 3.21 (1.50) | 3.43 (1.38) |
| CPM | 0.73 (0.48) | 0.70 (0.71) | 0.84 (0.69) | 0.94 (0.52) |
| Cold pain | 62.75 (27.36) | 62.05 (30.46) | 69.25 (24.56) | 65.40 (24.37) |
Notes: The scores of punctate pain ranged from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more intense pain. We assessed CPM by determining the change in PPT on the trapezius following immersion of the contralateral hand up to the wrist in the cold water bath at the temperature of 12°C for 1 minute, with higher CPM scores indicating better pain inhibition.
Abbreviations: CPM, conditioned pain modulation; HPTh, heat pain threshold, HPTo, heat pain tolerance, PPT, pressure pain tolerance; tDCS, transcranial direct current stimulation.