In a new analysis suggesting regular exercise may ease chronic pain, scientists who reviewed 15 studies of sports and pain found athletes are able to tolerate higher levels of discomfort – explaining the phrase “playing through the pain” – than less active people.
Researchers, reporting in the journal Pain, said their findings may provide clues to more effect pain-management techniques that involve physical activity.
Investigators from the University of Heidelberg reviewed fifteen studies that evaluated pain threshold or tolerance in male and female athletes compared to other individuals. 568 athletes and 331 people were included. Eight of the studies were conducted in the U.S., two in Canada, one in Australia, and four in Europe.
Athletes had consistently higher pain tolerance than other adults, the researchers concluded. Athletes involved in game sports had a higher tolerance for pain than other athletes.
"Our analysis reveals that pain perception differs in athletes compared to normally active controls," said lead investigator Dr. Jonas Tesarz. "Studies in athletes offer the opportunity for an evaluation of the physical and psychological effects of regular activity on pain perception, which might foster the development of effective types of exercise for relief in pain patients."