Is It Time to Step outside the Laboratory? The Feasibility of Field‐Based Examination of Exercise‐Induced Hypoalgesia in Elite Badminton Athletes with and without Knee Pain

Abstract

Aim. To investigate the feasibility of testing exercise‐induced hypoalgesia (EIH) in a field setting. The effect of knee pain on EIH was also explored. Design. Within‐group pre‐post design. Materials and Methods. Fourteen athletes (8 male, 6 female) competing at an international level in badminton were tested on the sideline during an in‐season training session. Participants completed questionnaires and a single leg decline squat to evaluate the presence of knee pain. A blinded examiner measured PPT over the quadriceps muscle before and after two conditions (3‐minute quiet rest and 3‐minute isometric wall squat). Results. The exercise protocol was completed by 13 (93%) participants. Mean (SD) exertion was 8.4 (1.7), and mean thigh pain was 7.9 (2.0) at 3 minutes. Very high reliability was observed for PPT collected before and after rest (ICC 0.94, 95% CI 0.85, 0.98). PPT significantly increased by 22.4% (95% CI 15.1, 29.7) after wall squat but not after rest. Relative increases in PPT were similar in participants with and without knee pain on single leg decline squat (22.2% versus 22.6%, 7 participants each). Conclusion. Simple, field‐based tests of endogenous analgesia are feasible and could provide new opportunities to evaluate an athlete’s risk of persistent pain.