Regular exercise has been linked to an increased ability to tolerate pain, according to a study in the journal PLOS One. The investigation, which collated data from Norway’s Tromsø study, found an association between higher levels of physical activity and longer duration of participants keeping their hand in icy water. Those defined as very active managed 115.7 seconds on average, compared to 99.4 seconds for the least active. Despite pain tolerance falling for all participants over the eight years between assessments, which may be due to ageing, active people maintained higher levels of pain tolerance compared to those who were inactive.
The research adds to a growing body of work that highlights the benefits of exercise on pain tolerance, which may be a result of physiological changes in the body, such as exercise-induced hypoalgesia, and exercise raising levels of endocannabinoids, neurotransmitters that regulate sleep, appetite and mood and can improve pain tolerance. Researchers also noted that because exercise often brings some level of pain such as muscle aches, it can help the way we analyse discomfort, as being conditioned by regular exposure to unpleasant experiences during a workout assists in building resilience and an ability to function under stress. Additionally, physical activity helps improve mood and teaches distraction from pain.
The study examined data from the Tromsø study, which analysed exercise and other health factors. Every participant completed a cold pressor test to compare pain levels, answering questions about their physical activity levels in the year prior to testing. The researchers noted the difficulties with assessing physical activity through self-reporting, with issues of over- or under-reporting, as well as the use of a test that does not account specifically for chronic pain. Finally, the study found that some participants who were active prior to testing were no longer active by the time of the second test, and were therefore unable to be included in the analysis of change in pain tolerance over time.
