APS Press Room
| For immediate release April 12, 2007 |
Contact: Chuck Weber (847) 705-1802 |
New Clinical Evidence: Exercise Can Reduce Pain In Young & Old
WASHINGTON, DC, May 3, 2007—Sports fans have all heard of a player who finished a game not knowing he’d broken a bone in the process, only to say afterwards, “I never felt a thing while playing.”
Now there’s scientific evidence physical exercise can actually decrease pain, according to new clinical studies—one with healthy college students, others with older adults in assisted living—reported here today at the annual meeting of the American Pain Society.
Marie Hoeger Bement, PhD, of Marquette University, studied healthy college student volunteers who underwent four weeks of pain perception tests—before and after carefully controlled static isometric contractions of the left elbow flexor muscles.
Before exercise, men exhibited a much higher tolerance than women for pain, which was induced by a dull blade pressed against the right index finger for two minutes. After isometric exercise, pain thresholds increased for men—and even more for women.
In studies of much older adults transitioning into assisted care, where physical activity levels drop dramatically, Kelli Koltyn, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin, reported on adults in their 80s who participated in a variety of exercises—a few of them even using a cane, walker or wheelchair. Although this population generally resists physical activity, Koltyn said they became willing subjects on three conditions: that they learn they can exercise without being uncomfortable, that they are convinced of the importance of exercise, and that the exercises are supervised.
One study group lifted 1-2 lb. weights. Others simply warmed up, did stretching exercises, then cooled down. Most showed a significant decrease in pain.
“One older woman who had declined to participate, complaining, ‘I don’t like to walk,’ was finally persuaded by her buddies to join in,” Koltyn said. “As a result, she started feeling better and began organizing walks with her friends.”
But the pain specialists cautioned there’s more research to be done: “We have this clinical evidence exercise can reduce pain, but we have yet to determine how much is beneficial and how much only exacerbates the pain.,” concluded Kathleen Sluka, PhD, of the University of Iowa.