Tactile acuity is reduced in people with chronic neck pain.

Background: Tactile acuity deficits have been demonstrated in a range of persistent pain conditions and may reflect underlying cortical re-organisation.

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether tactile acuity is impaired in people with chronic neck pain relative to controls, and whether deficits relate to pain location, duration and intensity.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 20 people with chronic neck pain (5 idiopathic neck pain; 15 whiplash-associated disorder) and 20 pain-free controls underwent two-point discrimination (TPD) testing at the neck, back and arm, and point-to-point (PTP) and graphesthesia tests of tactile acuity at the neck and arm.