The influence of athletic status and gender on experimental pain responses

To examine the role of athletic status and gender on experimental pain responses, 24 athletes (12 male, 12 female) and 24 nonathletes (12 male, 12 female) participated in 3 experimental pain tasks. After a series of psychologic inventories and demographic questionnaires, pressure pain thresholds (4 sites: pectoralis, trapezius, biceps, quadriceps), ischemic pain threshold and tolerance (lower arm), and cold pressor pain threshold and tolerance (lower arm) were assessed. No significant overall effects of athletic status or gender were identified for measures of pressure pain threshold. No group differences emerged for ischemic pain threshold. Athletes demonstrated significantly higher tolerance for ischemic pain, and cold pressor pain threshold and tolerance were higher among athletes than nonathletes. Overall analyses indicated higher pain thresholds and tolerance for cold pain among men than among women. A final interview found that many participants who approached the upper limits of these pain tasks reported using a competitive coping strategy.