Withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimulation is measured.
Von-Frey hairs are a set of very fine gauge calibrated metal wires. The animal stands on an elevated platform in which the surface is a wide gauge wire mesh. Von-Frey hair is inserted from below, up through the holes in the mesh, to poke the undersurface of a hindpaw. At threshold, the animal responds by quickly flicking its paw away from the hair. Mechanical withdrawal threshold is defined as the minimum gauge wire stimulus that elicits withdrawal reaction