Heart rate (HR) is currently used by rehabilitation clinicians as a complementary objective
measure of pain. The premise is that, as pain increases, HR should also increase. However,
this relationship is not clearly established. The goal of this study was to verify the
relationship between HR and pain perception. Thirty-nine healthy volunteers participated in
this experimental study. Painful stimuli were induced by a 2-minute immersion of the hand in
hot water (47° C). HR was recorded before and during the stimulation and was matched to a …