Muscle Stretching - the Potential Role of Endogenous Pain Inhibitory Modulation on Stretch Tolerance

University College of Northern Denmark

Status: Completed

Conditions: Muscle Stretching Exercises; Pain Threshold

Treatments: Other: Cold pressor test

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03713788

UniversityCND

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study investigates the influence of a remote, painful stimulus on stretch tolerance. Half of the participants will receive a conditioning painful stimulus following static stretching while the other half will rest quietly.

Full description

The effect of stretching on joint range of motion is primarily related to changes in the tolerance to stretch, but the mechanisms underlying this change are still largely unknown.

The nervous system has an inbuilt ability to modulate the perceived magnitude of afferent noxious stimuli via supraspinally mediated endogenous pain inhibition or facilitation and by engaging endogenous mechanisms pain tolerance in healthy individuals is known to increase. Thus increasing the tolerance to pain could potentially increase range of motion following stretching.

Enrollment: 34 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 45 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Eligibility for participation included the absence of any pain or other conditions that might affect the somatosensory system.

Exclusion criteria

• Substance abuse,
• History of neurological or mental disabilities
• Lack of ability to comply with instructions
• Delayed onset of muscle soreness.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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34 participants in 2 patient groups

Experimental pain group

Experimental group

Description:

subjects in the pain group were instructed to immerse their non-dominant hand into a container with circulating water at 1˚C to 4˚C and keep it there for 2 minutes. They were instructed to immerse it to wrist-level and keep the hand open.

Treatment:

Other: Cold pressor test

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants rested in a seated position for 5 minutes.