According to a new analysis of data from more than 10,000 adults, People who are physically active have a higher pain tolerance than the sedentary ones. The research was published in an open access journal ‘PLOS ONE’.
The others previous research suggests the possibility that the practice of doing a Increased levels of physical activity may help relieve or prevent chronic pain by increasing pain tolerance. However, most of these studies have been done small or focused on small groups of people.
Therefore, to clarify the relationship between pain tolerance and physical activity, Anders Arnes from the University Hospital of Northern Norway, and colleagues analyzed data from 10,732 Norwegian adults who participated in a large population survey –Study in Tromso– which is done from time to time in this country. They took data from two phases of the Study, one from 2007-2008 and another from 2015-2016. Data included self-reported levels of physical activity and their pain tolerance levels assessed a test that consists of immersing the hand in cold water.
“Whatever you do, the important thing is that you do something”
The analysis showed that those who reported having an active life had a greater pain tolerance. Besides, those who were more physically active in 2015-2016 had higher overall pain tolerance levels than those who practiced it in 2007-2008. It is not shown But, one statistically significant relationship between activity levels and changes in pain tolerance between the two phases of the study. However, it suggests that Staying physically active, being active, or increasing activity has been linked to increased pain tolerance.
Considering these results, the researchers suggest that Increasing physical activity can be a strategy to relieve or prevent chronic pain. They added that future research could help confirm whether a cause-effect relationship actually exists and evaluate possible therapeutic applications. “Being or staying physically active over time can be beneficial for pain tolerance. Whatever you do, the most important thing is to do something“, they emphasized.
