The effect of resistance exercise on multimodal pain thresholds in local and systemic muscle sites

• Published in: Physiological reports Vol. 12; no. 12; pp. e16123 - n/a
• Main Authors: Lyons, Kaitlyn M., Stock, Matt S., Hanney, William J., Anderson, Abigail W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.06.2024; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Cross-Over Studies; Exercise; exercise induced hypoalgesia; Female; Heat; heat pain threshold; Heat stimuli; Hot Temperature; Humans; Intervention; Male; Muscle, Skeletal - physiology; Neurosciences; Original; Pain; Pain perception; Pain Threshold - physiology; Physical fitness; pressure pain threshold; Quadriceps muscle; quantitative sensory testing; Questionnaires; Rehabilitation; resistance exercise; Resistance Training - methods; Shoulder; Systematic review; Young Adult; heat pain threshold; resistance exercise; pressure pain threshold; quantitative sensory testing; exercise induced hypoalgesia
• ISSN: 2051-817X; 2051-817X
• DOI: 10.14814/phy2.16123

Dynamic resistance exercise may produce reductions in pain locally at the exercising muscle and systemically at non‐exercising sites. However, limited research has examined these changes with multiple noxious stimuli. This study examined changes in heat pain threshold (HPT) and pressure pain threshold (PPT) on different musculature after an upper and lower body exercise to compare local and systemic effects. A crossover design with 28 participants (mean age: 21 ± 4 years, 21 female) completed three sessions. Visit one included baseline quantitative sensory testing and 5‐repetition maximum (RM) testing for upper (shoulder press) and lower (leg extension) body. In subsequent sessions, participants performed upper or lower body exercises using an estimated 75% 1‐RM with pre/post assessment of HPT and PPT at three sites: deltoid, quadriceps, and low back. A significant three‐way interaction was observed for HPT (F (1.71, 3.80) = 2.19, p = 0.036, η2p = 0.12) with significant increases in HPT over the quadriceps (p = 0.043) after leg extension and over the deltoid (p = 0.02) after shoulder press. Significant systemic changes were not observed for HPT or PPT. Local but not systemic effects were demonstrated after an acute bout of exercise. Peripheral pain sensitivity may be more responsive to heat stimuli after resistance exercise.