Photo Credit: dusanpetkovic
The following is a summary of “Effect of stretching intensity on pain sensitivity: A randomized crossover study on healthy adults,” published in the October 2024 issue of Pain by Støve et al.
Stretching exercises affected local and widespread pain sensitivity, and a potential dose-response relationship implying higher-intensity stretching and generating analgesic effects.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine the dose-response relationship between stretching intensity and its analgesic effect.
They assessed the effects of stretching to the 1st point of pain commencement and stretching to the point of a sensation of stretching (discomfort) as the primary outcome of the regional and distant pressure pain thresholds.
The results showed that 31 participants (n = 24 female) were included in the analysis with 22.2% increase in regional pressure pain thresholds (93.2 kPa, P = 0.001) and a 15.0% gain in distant pressure pain thresholds (50.9 kPa, P = 0.012) were observed after stretching to the point of stretch, and a 20.0% increase in regional pressure pain thresholds (90.3 kPa, P = 0.001) , 15.1% increase in distant pressure pain thresholds (52.1 kPa, P = 0.004) occurred following stretching to the point of pain.
Investigators concluded that acute stretching, regardless of intensity, decreased local and widespread pain sensitivity, with no evidence of a dose-response association between stretching intensity and analgesic effect.
Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ejp.4750
