Wrist, but Not Back, Isometric Contraction Induced Widespread Hypoalgesia in Healthy Participants
Objective: Exercise may reduce pain sensitivity. This phenomenon called exercise-induced hypoalgesia is observed in different types of exercises and involves the activation of endogenous pain modulation systems. Although the effect of limb exercise on pain sensitivity has often been tested, few stud...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Pain Research |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpain.2021.701830/full |
| _version_ | 1819033141262680064 |
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| author | Catherine Mailloux Timothy H. Wideman Hugo Massé-Alarie |
| author_facet | Catherine Mailloux Timothy H. Wideman Hugo Massé-Alarie |
| author_sort | Catherine Mailloux |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: Exercise may reduce pain sensitivity. This phenomenon called exercise-induced hypoalgesia is observed in different types of exercises and involves the activation of endogenous pain modulation systems. Although the effect of limb exercise on pain sensitivity has often been tested, few studies explored the impact of back exercises that are often used to treat low back pain. The main objective is to measure the effect of back-muscle exercise on pain sensitivity and compare it to the effect of a limb-muscle exercise.Methods: Twenty-three participants who were pain-free performed a 4-min wrist flexion isometric contraction followed by a 4-min low back extension, separated by a 20-min break. Pressure pain thresholds were tested at two low back (S1 spinous process, lumbar erector spinae muscle) and two wrist (capitate bone, wrist flexor muscles) sites before and after each exercise. For each exercise, sites were considered as remote or local in relation to the muscles contracted during the exercise. An independent sample of 11 participants was recruited to confirm the influence of low back extension on pain sensitivity.Results: Wrist exercise induced a larger increase in pain sensitivity than back exercise at the remote site. Only wrist exercise induced a hypoalgesia effect at both the local and the remote sites. Back exercise induced a similar effect in the independent sample.Conclusions: This study showed that back and wrist exercises induced a distinct effect on pain sensitivity in participants who were pain-free. The wrist exercise induced a systemic reduction in pain sensitivity (locally and remotely), whereas the back exercise did not. This differential effect may be present because wrist exercise induced most fatigue compared with the back exercise. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T07:13:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-82b0baf03b9b442a99d0dabe8c479a58 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-561X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T07:13:07Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Pain Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-82b0baf03b9b442a99d0dabe8c479a582022-12-21T19:11:56ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pain Research2673-561X2021-08-01210.3389/fpain.2021.701830701830Wrist, but Not Back, Isometric Contraction Induced Widespread Hypoalgesia in Healthy ParticipantsCatherine Mailloux0Timothy H. Wideman1Hugo Massé-Alarie2Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, CanadaLethbridge-Layton-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, QC, CanadaDépartement de réadaptation, Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, CanadaObjective: Exercise may reduce pain sensitivity. This phenomenon called exercise-induced hypoalgesia is observed in different types of exercises and involves the activation of endogenous pain modulation systems. Although the effect of limb exercise on pain sensitivity has often been tested, few studies explored the impact of back exercises that are often used to treat low back pain. The main objective is to measure the effect of back-muscle exercise on pain sensitivity and compare it to the effect of a limb-muscle exercise.Methods: Twenty-three participants who were pain-free performed a 4-min wrist flexion isometric contraction followed by a 4-min low back extension, separated by a 20-min break. Pressure pain thresholds were tested at two low back (S1 spinous process, lumbar erector spinae muscle) and two wrist (capitate bone, wrist flexor muscles) sites before and after each exercise. For each exercise, sites were considered as remote or local in relation to the muscles contracted during the exercise. An independent sample of 11 participants was recruited to confirm the influence of low back extension on pain sensitivity.Results: Wrist exercise induced a larger increase in pain sensitivity than back exercise at the remote site. Only wrist exercise induced a hypoalgesia effect at both the local and the remote sites. Back exercise induced a similar effect in the independent sample.Conclusions: This study showed that back and wrist exercises induced a distinct effect on pain sensitivity in participants who were pain-free. The wrist exercise induced a systemic reduction in pain sensitivity (locally and remotely), whereas the back exercise did not. This differential effect may be present because wrist exercise induced most fatigue compared with the back exercise.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpain.2021.701830/fullexercise-induced hypoalgesiapressure pain thresholdisometric contractionback muscleslow back pain |
| spellingShingle | Catherine Mailloux Timothy H. Wideman Hugo Massé-Alarie Wrist, but Not Back, Isometric Contraction Induced Widespread Hypoalgesia in Healthy Participants Frontiers in Pain Research exercise-induced hypoalgesia pressure pain threshold isometric contraction back muscles low back pain |
| title | Wrist, but Not Back, Isometric Contraction Induced Widespread Hypoalgesia in Healthy Participants |
| title_full | Wrist, but Not Back, Isometric Contraction Induced Widespread Hypoalgesia in Healthy Participants |
| title_fullStr | Wrist, but Not Back, Isometric Contraction Induced Widespread Hypoalgesia in Healthy Participants |
| title_full_unstemmed | Wrist, but Not Back, Isometric Contraction Induced Widespread Hypoalgesia in Healthy Participants |
| title_short | Wrist, but Not Back, Isometric Contraction Induced Widespread Hypoalgesia in Healthy Participants |
| title_sort | wrist but not back isometric contraction induced widespread hypoalgesia in healthy participants |
| topic | exercise-induced hypoalgesia pressure pain threshold isometric contraction back muscles low back pain |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpain.2021.701830/full |
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