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Examining the relationship between endogenous pain modulation capacity and endurance exercise performance.
Andrew Flood1,2, Gordon Waddington2,3, Stuart Cathcart1,2
1a Centre for Applied Psychology, Faculty of Health , University of Canberra , Canberra , Australia.
Research in Sports Medicine (Print)
|April 11, 2017
Summary
This study found that better pain modulation capacity is linked to improved endurance exercise performance in recreationally active males. Individuals who could better suppress pain sensations lasted longer in endurance tasks.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Pain Perception
- Human Performance
Background:
- Pain modulation plays a role in physical activity, but its direct link to endurance performance is not fully understood.
- Understanding pain modulation's influence can offer insights into optimizing exercise capacity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between an individual's pain modulatory capacity and their performance in an endurance exercise task.
- To determine if the ability to modulate pain influences how long participants can sustain an isometric exercise.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-seven recreationally active males (18-35 years) participated.
- Pain modulation was assessed using a conditioning-testing stimulus paradigm (cuff occlusion and pressure pain threshold).
- Participants performed maximal voluntary contractions and a submaximal isometric endurance time task with the non-dominant leg.
Main Results:
- A significant negative correlation was found between pain modulatory capacity and endurance time (r = -0.425, p = 0.027).
- Participants with greater pain modulatory capacity demonstrated longer endurance times.
- This is the first study to show a direct relationship between pain modulation and endurance exercise performance.
Conclusions:
- Elevated pain modulatory capacity is associated with enhanced endurance exercise performance.
- The findings suggest that the ability to modulate pain is a relevant factor in endurance capacity.
- Further research could explore interventions to enhance pain modulation for improved athletic performance.