Intensity and duration threshold for aerobic exercise-induced analgesia to pressure pain

doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2003.09.010

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Volume 85, Issue 7, July 2004, Pages 1183-1187

Presented in part at the American College of Sports Medicine’s Annual Meeting, May 31, 2000, Indianapolis, IN.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2003.09.010 Get rights and content

Abstract

Hoffman MD, Shepanski MA, Ruble SB, Valic Z, Buckwalter JB, Clifford PS. Intensity and duration threshold for aerobic exercise-induced analgesia to pressure pain. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85:1183–7.

Objective

To examine how exercise-induced analgesia is affected by the duration and intensity of aerobic exercise.

Design

Repeated-measures design.

Setting

Exercise science laboratory.

Participants

Convenience sample of 12 healthy male and female volunteers (mean age ± standard deviation, 32±9y).

Interventions

Pain ratings were assessed before and at 5 and 30 minutes after treadmill exercise of 10 minutes at 75% maximal oxygen uptake (V̇o₂max), 30 minutes at 50% V̇o₂max, and 30 minutes at 75% V̇o₂max (randomized order and no less than 48h between each bout).

Main outcome measures

Pain ratings were measured on a visual analog scale at 10-second intervals during a 2-minute pressure-pain stimulus to the nondominant index finger.

Results

Pain ratings were significantly decreased (P<.05) from pre-exercise values 5 minutes after 30 minutes of exercise at 75% V̇o₂max but returned toward baseline by 30 minutes after exercise. There were no significant changes in pain ratings after 10 minutes of exercise or after exercise at 50% V̇o₂max.

Conclusions

There are thresholds for both the intensity (>50% V̇o₂max) and duration (>10min) of exercise required to elicit exercise analgesia.

Section snippets

Participants

Twelve apparently healthy people participated in the study. The subject group was composed of 7 women and 5 men of varying ages and fitness levels (table 1). Exclusion criteria included known cardiac, pulmonary, or metabolic disorders, diseases affecting the sensory nerves, musculoskeletal disorders preventing safe participation in exercise, and pregnancy. In addition, people taking medications, including anti-inflammatory drugs, antihistamines, pain medications, or antidepressants, were

Results

No significant difference (P=.18) in pain ratings was evident between the 2 pressure-pain tests performed 15 minutes apart during the subjects’ second visit. A significant correlation (r=.94, P=.0001) was found between the 2 trials. In addition, an ICC among pre-exercise pain ratings for the 3 days of testing showed good reliability (Cronbach α=.90).

Figure 1 displays representative pressure-pain rating data for 1 subject at each 10-second interval during pressure-pain tests before and after

Discussion

This study was designed to determine if there are exercise intensity and duration thresholds needed to elicit exercise-induced analgesia. The results show that there was a significant decrement in pain ratings 5 minutes after an exercise bout of 30 minutes at 75% V̇o₂max. No significant effect was found after 10 minutes of exercise at the same intensity or after 30 minutes of exercise at a lower intensity. These results support the concept that there are alterations in pain perception after an

Conclusions

Our results indicate that there are intensity and duration thresholds for eliciting exercise-induced analgesia. An exercise bout of 30 minutes at 75% V̇o₂max was adequate to induce alterations in pain ratings in a group of young, healthy volunteers, but 10 minutes at the same intensity and 30 minutes at 50% V̇o₂max were inadequate.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Richard Rys and Andrew Williams for fabricating the modified Forgione-Barber pressure-pain device.

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^☆: Supported by the Rehabilitation R&D Service, Department of Veterans Affairs (grant no. F1849P), and the Physical Medicine Research Foundation’s Woodbridge Grants and Awards Program.

¹: No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has conferred or will confer a financial benefit on the author(s) or on any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.

View full text

Intensity and duration threshold for aerobic exercise-induced analgesia to pressure pain1☆,

Abstract

Objective

Design

Setting

Participants

Interventions

Main outcome measures

Results

Conclusions

Section snippets

Participants

Results

Discussion

Conclusions

Acknowledgements

Pain

Brain Res

Neurosci Lett

Brain Res

Pain

Pain

Pain

Physiol Behav

Psychiatry Res

Basic considerations of pain

The painlessness of the long distance runner

Med J Aust

Effect of physical exercise on pain thresholds and plasma beta-endorphins in patients with silent and symptomatic myocardial ischemia

Eur Heart J

Perception of pain following aerobic exercise

Med Sci Sports Exerc

Intensity and duration threshold for aerobic exercise-induced analgesia to pressure pain¹☆,