The magnitude of exercise-induced hypoalgesia in female can be improved and correlated with endogenous pain modulation following 4 weeks of treadmill running

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveWe aimed to investigate changes in pain perception, acute exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH), and endogenous pain modulation responses following 4-week treadmill running exercises of different intensities in female.MethodsForty-two female participants included in this study performed exercise interventions 12 times within 4 weeks. All participants were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (TRL, low-intensity treadmill running and TRH, high-intensity treadmill running). All participants performed a single treadmill running session at different intensities based on their target heart rate (THR). A running assessment was administered to every participant one week before implementing the exercise interventions. The magnitudes of EIH, conditioned pain modulation (CPM), and temporal summation (TS) responses following long-term treadmill running were assessed. Pressure pain thresholds (PPT) or mechanical pain thresholds (MPT) were also determined following long-term treadmill running.ResultsTreadmill running only induced acute EIH responses, with all pre-running PPT and MPT remaining unaltered. However, EIH responses were significantly positively and negatively correlated with running sessions in the TRL and TRH groups, respectively.ConclusionsA 4-week low-intensity treadmill running improved acute EIH response by enhancing endogenous pain modulation in healthy females. Future studies should consider sex, behavior, and physiological factors to provide a comprehensive understanding of the changes in EIH following long-term exercises.