Active lifestyles boost pain tolerance

Summary: According to a new study, physically active people have a higher pain tolerance than sedentary people. Participants who were constantly active or who increased their activity over time had a higher overall level of pain tolerance.

Although the analysis did not demonstrate a statistically significant change in pain tolerance over time due to increased activity, it does indicate that physical activity could potentially alleviate chronic pain.

Further research is needed to confirm a cause and effect relationship and explore potential therapeutic applications.

Highlights:

1. The study analyzed data from 10,732 Norwegian adults, showing that physically active people had higher pain tolerance than those with a sedentary lifestyle.
2. Increasing physical activity over time was associated with a higher overall level of pain tolerance.
3. Research suggests that increasing physical activity may help relieve or prevent chronic pain, although more research is needed to confirm a causal relationship.

Source: OLP

A new analysis of data from more than 10,000 adults shows that physically active people had higher pain tolerance than those who were sedentary, and those with higher activity levels had greater pain tolerance. high. Anders Årnes from the University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, and colleagues present these findings in the open access journal PLOS ONE May 24, 2023.

Previous research has suggested the possibility that a habit of engaging in a higher level of physical activity could help relieve or prevent chronic pain by increasing pain tolerance. However, most studies on this topic have been small or focused on small groups of people.

To help clarify the relationship between physical activity and pain tolerance, Årnes and colleagues analyzed data from 10,732 Norwegian adults who participated in a large population-based survey study – the Tromsø Study – which is conducted periodically in Norway.

The researchers used data from two rounds of the Tromsø study, one conducted from 2007 to 2008 and the other from 2015 to 2016. The data included participants’ self-reported physical activity levels and their tolerance levels to pain, as assessed in a test. consisting of immersing your hand in cold water.

Statistical analysis of the data showed that participants who reported being physically active in either cycle of the Tromsø study had higher pain tolerance than those who reported a lifestyle sedentary in both cycles.

Participants with higher total activity levels had higher pain tolerance, and those with higher activity in 2015/2016 than in 2007/2008 had a higher overall pain tolerance level.

The analysis did not show a statistically significant relationship between activity level and changes in pain tolerance between the two cycles of the study. Nonetheless, it suggests that staying physically active, becoming active, or boosting activity is linked to greater pain tolerance.

Based on their findings, the researchers suggest that increasing physical activity could be a potential strategy for alleviating or warding off chronic pain.

Future research could help confirm whether there is indeed a causal relationship between activity and pain tolerance and assess potential therapeutic applications.

The authors add, “Becoming or remaining physically active over time may benefit your pain tolerance. Whatever you do, the most important thing is that you do something!

About this pain and exercise research news

Author: Hana Abdullah
Source: OLP
Contact: Hanna Abdallah – PLOS
Picture: Image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original research: Free access.
“Longitudinal relationships between habitual physical activity and pain tolerance in the general population” by Anders Årnes et al. PLOS ONE

Abstract

Longitudinal relationships between habitual physical activity and pain tolerance in the general population

Physical activity (PA) may influence the risk or progression of chronic pain through pain tolerance. Therefore, we sought to assess whether habitual PA level during leisure time and change in PA affect pain tolerance longitudinally in the population.

Our sample (n=10,732; 51% women) was drawn from the sixth (Tromsø6, 2007-2008) and seventh (Tromsø7, 2015-2016) waves of the prospective study based on the population of Tromsø, Norway . Leisure-time PA level (sedentary, light, moderate, or vigorous) was derived from questionnaires; experimental pain tolerance was measured by the cold presser test (CPT).

We used ordinary and mixed multiple-fit Tobit regression to assess 1) the effect of longitudinal PA modification on CPT tolerance at follow-up, and 2) whether a change in pain tolerance over time varied with LTPA level. We found that participants with consistently high PA levels across both surveys (Tromsø6 and Tromsø7) had significantly higher tolerance than those who remained sedentary (20.4 s. (95% CI: 13, 7, 27.1)).

Repeated measures show that the light (6.7 s. (CI 3.4, 10.0)), moderate (14.1 s. CI (9.9, 18.3)) and vigorous (16. 3 sec (CI 6.0, 26.5)) had higher pain tolerance than sedentary, with a non-significant interaction showed a slight decrease in PA effects over time.

In conclusion, being physically active at either time point measured 7-8 years apart was associated with higher pain tolerance compared to being sedentary at both time points.

Pain tolerance increased with higher total activity levels, and more for those who increased their activity level during follow-up. This indicates that not only the total amount of PA is important, but also the direction of change. PA did not significantly moderate the change in pain tolerance over time, although estimates suggest a slightly decreasing effect, possibly due to aging.

These findings support increasing PA levels as a possible non-pharmacological route to reducing or preventing chronic pain.