Journal article
The effect of exercise intensity on exercise-induced hypoalgesia in cancer survivors: A randomized crossover trial
Physiological Reports, Vol.9(19), pp.1-11
2021
PMID: 34605221
Abstract
Pain is experienced by people with cancer during treatment and in survivorship. Exercise can have an acute hypoalgesic effect (exercise-induced hypoalgesia; EIH) in healthy individuals and some chronic pain states. However, EIH, and the moderating effect of exercise intensity, has not been investigated in cancer survivors. This study examined the effect of low- and high-intensity aerobic exercise on EIH in cancer survivors after a single exercise session as well as a brief period of exercise training (2-weeks, three exercise sessions per week). Participants (N = 19) were randomized to low- (30%-40% Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) or high- (60%-70% HRR) intensity stationary cycling for 15-20 min. Pressure pain thresholds (PPT) were assessed over the rectus femoris and biceps brachii before and after a single exercise session and again after a short training period at the assigned intensity. Then, following a 6-week washout period, the intervention was repeated at the other intensity. After the first exercise session, high-intensity exercise resulted in greater EIH over the rectus femoris than low intensity (mean difference +/- SE: -0.51 kg/cm(2) +/- 0.15, Cohen's d = 0.78, p = 0.004). After a 2-week training period, we found no difference in EIH between intensities (0.01 kg/cm(2) +/- 0.25, d = 0.00 p = 0.99), with comparable moderate effect sizes for both low- and high-intensity exercise, indicative of EIH. No EIH was observed over the biceps brachii of the arm at either low or high intensity. Low-intensity exercise training may be a feasible option to increase pain thresholds in cancer survivors.
Details
- Title
- The effect of exercise intensity on exercise-induced hypoalgesia in cancer survivors: A randomized crossover trial
- Authors
- Briana K. Clifford (Corresponding Author) - UNSW SydneyMatthew D. Jones - UNSW SydneyDavid Simar - UNSW SydneyBenjamin K. Barry - UNSW SydneyDavid Goldstein - Prince of Wales Hospital
- Publication details
- Physiological Reports, Vol.9(19), pp.1-11
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- Date published
- 2021
- DOI
- 10.14814/phy2.15047
- ISSN
- 2051-817X
- PMID
- 34605221
- Copyright note
- © 2021 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
- Data Availability
- The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Sports & Exercise Science
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991224878302621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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