Dard-e-Workout: How exercise increases your pain threshold

We are aware that "hustle for that muscle," has numerous benefits, including strong muscles, a lower chance of disease, increased mental health, and more.But now there's one more item to add to the huge list of advantages of exercise: a better capacity for pain management.Regular exercise can effectively treat or prevent chronic pain without the use of medicines, according to a recent study published in the journal PLOS One.Let’s take a look.Also read: What’s the perfect time to exercise during the day if you want to lose weight? Here’s what science saysThe more active you are, the higher your tolerance…It was discovered that those who led more active lifestyles were more pain-tolerant, and that ability increased the more participants in the study reported exercising.The researchers' analysis was based on data from 10,732 participants in the Troms study, an extensive study on health and disease that was carried out in Tromsø, Norway. Over half of the participants were women, and their ages ranged from 30 to 87.The participants filled out questionnaires to indicate how active they were—sedentary, light, moderate, or vigorous. The cold pressor test (CPT), in which participants' hands are submerged in ice water between 32 and 41 degrees Fahrenheit to determine how long they can tolerate it, was used to gauge pain tolerance. The study was repeated twice, seven to eight years apart. For both rounds, the researchers concluded that any amount of activity was preferable to inactivity in terms of pain tolerance."The main takeaway is that engaging in habitual physical activity in your leisure time seems to be connected with your pain tolerance — the more active you are, the higher your tolerance is likely to be," Anders Pedersen Årnes, the lead author from the University Hospital of North Norway, told Fox News Digital.[caption id="attachment_12683402" align="alignnone" width="640"]

People who lead more active lifestyles are more pain-tolerant. Pixabay[/caption]"Second, there were signs that the direction of change in activity level over time, as well as the total amount of physical activity over time, (impact) how high pain tolerance is," Arnes said, adding, "We found large effects for the most active versus the least active participants — close to 60 seconds tolerance on average for the sedentary group versus above 80 seconds tolerance for the most active participants.”Chronic pain did not seem to diminish the effect of physical activity on pain tolerance, which appeared just as strong for those with pain as for those without, the researcher told Fox News.Another unexpected finding was that there was no distinction between men and women.It should be noted that this was an observational study in which averages for several population subgroups were examined. Additionally, there was a chance for bias or inaccuracy because the activity levels were self-reported.Also read: Want to live longer? 11 minutes of daily exercise could be all you needSimilar studiesThis wasn’t the first research to examine the relationship between exercise and pain tolerance.TIME magazine cited a 2017 study by Southeastern Louisiana University, published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 24 college students showed a higher threshold for pain after participating in two sessions of strength training and circuit training.While a 2020 study from Australia's Melbourne that appeared in the journal BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders analysed over 600 people who experienced persistent musculoskeletal pain. Higher pain thresholds were observed in people who engaged in regular aerobic exercises, such as cycling or walking, according to Monash University researchers.Also read: Explained: Why is sleep important for fitness?More about chronic painThe Lancet defines chronic pain as pain that persists or recurs for longer than three months, and it exerts an enormous personal and economic burden.It affects more than 30 per cent of people globally.Regular exercise has several advantages besides only an improved pain tolerance. According to the US-based Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they include better control of weight, enhanced heart health, decreased risk of cancer, stronger bones and muscles, longer life expectancy, and increased capacity for daily activities."You don't have to perform as a top-tier athlete to enjoy the benefits of it," Arnes said, adding, "The most important thing is that you take action, and increasing your level of physical activity could be very beneficial for you."With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.