March 3, 2026Open Access

Reliability and Validity of Non-Invasive Electrical Detection and Pain Thresholds Using PainVision in Healthy Young Adults

Key Points

EDT and EPT demonstrated good to excellent reliability, showing high intraclass correlation coefficients between 0.75 and 0.99.
The minimal detectable change for EDT ranged from 1.26 to 1.81, while for EPT it was 1.18 to 1.99, indicating strong measurement consistency.
Assessment used PainVision and measured pain via the visual analogue scale after electrical stimulation across four sites.
These findings suggest PainVision offers a reliable method for assessing electrical sensory thresholds, supporting future clinical applications.

Abstract

Shiya Yu,1,2 Zhimo Yang,1,2 Baoyu Chen,1,2 Lisheng Wang,1,2 Jielei Huang,1,2 Li Gou,1,2 Lin Yang1,2 1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Center, Sichuan University West China Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, Peopleâs Republic of China; 2Rehabilitation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Peopleâs Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Lin Yang, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Center, Sichuan University West China Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, Peopleâs Republic of China, Email green.yanglin@scu.edu.cnBackground: Electrical detection threshold (EDT) and electrical pain threshold (EPT) measured via PainVisionÂ® offer a non-invasive method to objectively assess sensory function, directly targeting specific nerve fibers. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and preliminary validity of EDT and EPT across different anatomical sites in healthy young adults.Patients and Methods: Forty-six participants underwent EDT and EPT assessments at four sites across two sessions separated by 2â 3 days. Pain intensity at the medial forearm was recorded using the visual analogue scale (VAS) following 30-second electrical stimulation. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and minimal detectable changes (MDC) were calculated, and correlations between EPT and VAS were analyzed.Results: EDT and EPT showed good to excellent reliability (ICC 0.75â 0.95 and 0.83â 0.99, respectively). MDC ranged from 1.26â 1.81 for EDT and 1.18â 1.99 for EPT. EPT was negatively correlated with VAS scores (r = â 0.746, 95% CI â 0.852, â 0.582).Conclusion: EDT and EPT measurements using PainVisionÂ® demonstrated robust reliability and preliminary validity in healthy young adults, highlighting their potential as a standardized, non-invasive tool for assessing electrical sensory thresholds. This study provides baseline data for future research in clinical populations.Keywords: electrical detection threshold, electrical pain threshold, reliability, validity, pain assessment

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