The effect of high resistance weight training on reported pain in older adults

The present study examined the effect of a progressive, whole- body, high resistance training program on reported pain in older adults. Ninety-eight participants (60 - 83 years) completed the McGill Pain Questionnaire prior to and after an eight week training period. Seventy-nine of the participants completed a progressive, high resistance training program of 11 different exercises on three days a week. At the end of eight weeks, the training group achieved significant strength gains ranging from 62% -119% (p ≤ 0.005). Pain measures for the training and control groups were compared using an analysis of covariance on post-test pain measures after an adjustment by pre-test scores. (p ≤ 0.05). The training group reported less perceived pain than the control group in four pain measures (overall pain intensity, sensory dimension, miscellaneous pain measures, number of pain descriptors selected). There were no differences reported for the affective or evaluative dimensions of perceived pain, the number of painful areas, or the present pain. Results suggest that eight weeks of progressive, whole-body weight training has a positive impact on perception of pain in older adults. Key pointsImproved strength in older adults had a positive effect on the perception of pain.The number of painful areas identified and self-reported pain qualities were diminished following high resistance weight training.The McGill Pain Questionnaire was an effective tool for measuring changes in pain perception as a result of training.