Dolorimeter

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Dolorimeter

A dolorimeter is a device that measures how strongly a person can feel pain — their pain threshold and pain tolerance. It works by delivering a controlled stimulus to a small area of the body, such as pressure, heat, electrical current, or movement, and then recording the level that produces a pain sensation. Some versions use heat from a lamp, others use ultrasound, lasers, or pressure measurements to determine how much stimulus causes pain.

A brief history and examples:
- The first dolorimeter, developed in the 1940s, aimed to test pain-relieving drugs. It used heated skin and a 10-step pain scale, but results were hard to reproduce and the method faded.
- Later tools include:
- Sonic Palpometer: uses ultrasound and computer tech to automate sensitivity testing.
- Pressure-controlled palpometer (PCP): measures the pressure applied during palpation with a special film.
- Laser- or heat-based devices: such as a laser-based dolorimeter and devices using a 500-watt lamp to heat the skin.
- Other names you might see: algesiometer, algometer, analgesia meter, algonometer, prick-algesimeter, pressure-algometer.

Dolorimetry is also used in animals to study pain and test pain-relieving drugs.