The Painful Truth
This was a straightforward and solid experimental design overall. The control group was critical for this study to compare training versus no training. The caveat is that you're comparing two groups of individuals, so there's some potential variability inherent between the two groups.
The findings of the study included:
1. The control group had no change in aerobic fitness (42.9 to 41.7 mL/kg/min pre and post).
2. The exercise group had a 15 percent increase in aerobic fitness (36.3 to 41.6 mL/kg/min pre and post), supported by higher peak workloads in both the post-test and during the final exercise training session.
3. Ischemic pain tolerance was not altered in the control group (-3.7 percent tolerance time; 5/12 had improvement) but improved in the exercise group (+20.3 percent; 10/12 had improvement). Combining all 24 participants, there was a slight correlation between the overall change in aerobic fitness over the six weeks and changes in ischemic pain tolerance.
4. No significant effect was observed in the pressure pain threshold in either group, in any of the four muscles tested, or after the exercise.
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Analysis
This is the first to clearly demonstrate that chronic exercise attenuates pain perception and tolerance in otherwise healthy individuals. This supports the general idea that fitness is not just a physical state, but also a psychological state that can improve pain tolerance.
Interestingly, the similarity in both groups for pain threshold response suggests that fitter individuals still recognize a noxious stimuli as painful, but that they are better able to tune it out and deal with pain. This also supports the underlying theme that training isn't just about improving your physical state, but also your psychological tolerance to discomfort or pain.
Summary
This study adds to the renewed emphasis on the athlete as a holistic mind-body system. The data suggests that psychological interventions focused on reducing or managing discomfort and pain can greatly benefit athletes in training and competition.
So with the off-season upon us in the northern hemisphere, consider devoting time to improving your physical and your mental toughness. And as you plan for 2015, consider workouts that challenge you to push your mental limits.
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