Psychological and Genetic Predictors of Pain Tolerance

Patanwala, Asad E.; Norwood, Charles; Steiner, Heidi E.; Morrison, Daniel; Li, May; Walsh, K.; Martinez, M. Elena; Baker, Sarah E.; Snyder, Eric M.; Karnes, Jason H.

doi:10.1111/cts.12605

Cited by 16 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Increased fear of pain reduced the ability to tolerate the CPT. Several previous studies in samples stated as non-athletes have shown the same findings as the present study, where increased fear of pain was negatively associated with the ability to endure pain (Vambheim et al, 2017;Patanwala et al, 2019). Thus, FPQ might be a trait that independent of training status affect how the individual perceive painful experiences and thereby influences the behavior when painful stimulation is present.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Pain Processing in Elite and High-Level Athletes Compared to Non-athletes

2020

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Background: Previous studies shows that elite and high-level athletes possess consistently higher pain tolerance to ischemic and cold pain stimulation compared to recreationally active. However, the data previously obtained within this field is sparse and with low consistency. Purpose: The aim of the present study was to examine the difference in pain perception between elite and high-level endurance athletes (cross country skiers and runners), elite soccer players and non-athletes, as well to explore the impact of psychological factors on pain processing. Methods: Seventy one healthy volunteers (33 females and 38 males) participated in the study. Soccer players (n = 17), cross country skiers (n = 12), and long-distance runners (n = 3) formed the athlete group, with 39 non-athletes as controls. Big-five personality traits, fear of pain and Grit (perseverance and passion for long-term goals) were measured prior to induction of experimental pain. Pain threshold and intensity was induced by a PC-controlled heat thermode and measured by a computerized visual analog scale. Pain tolerance was measured by the cold pressor test (CPT). Results: Elite and high-level athletes had increased pain tolerance, higher heat pain thresholds, and reported lower pain intensity to thermal stimulation. Endurance athletes (cross country skiers and long-distance runners) had better tolerance for cold pain compared to both soccer-players and non-athletes. Furthermore, endurance athletes reported lower pain intensity compared to non-athletes, whereas both endurance athletes and soccer players had higher heat pain thresholds compared to non-athletes. Fear of Pain was the only psychological trait that had an impact on all pain measures. Conclusion: The present findings suggest that sports with long durations of physically intense activity, leveling aerobic capacity, are associated with increased ability to tolerate pain and that the amount of training hours has an impact on this tolerance. However, the small sample size implies that the results from this study should be interpreted with caution.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Pain Processing in Elite and High-Level Athletes Compared to Non-athletes

2020

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“… 14–17 For example, individuals with high scores of neuroticism exhibited a short pain tolerance, 9 a high pain intensity 10 and high scores on self-reported sensitivity to pain questionnaires; 6 , 8 subjects with high scores of extraversion demonstrated a long pain tolerance 12 and high pain thresholds; 13 and finally, participants with high scores of catastrophizing reported a high pain intensity 16 , 18 and short pain tolerance. 17 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[3][4][5] Using experimental pain models, numerous studies on healthy subjects showed relationships between sensitivity to pain and the personality traits of neuroticism, [6][7][8][9][10] extraversion, [11][12][13] and pain catastrophizing. [14][15][16][17] For example, individuals with high scores of neuroticism exhibited a short pain tolerance, 9 a high pain intensity 10 and high scores on self-reported sensitivity to pain questionnaires; 6,8 subjects with high scores of extraversion demonstrated a long pain tolerance 12 and high pain thresholds; 13 and finally, participants with high scores of catastrophizing reported a high pain intensity 16,18 and short pain tolerance. 17 Neuroticism is considered as a higher-order broad personality domain which has been shown to have associations with some pain-related cognitive and behavioral lower-order traits, such as pain catastrophizing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[14][15][16][17] For example, individuals with high scores of neuroticism exhibited a short pain tolerance, 9 a high pain intensity 10 and high scores on self-reported sensitivity to pain questionnaires; 6,8 subjects with high scores of extraversion demonstrated a long pain tolerance 12 and high pain thresholds; 13 and finally, participants with high scores of catastrophizing reported a high pain intensity 16,18 and short pain tolerance. 17 Neuroticism is considered as a higher-order broad personality domain which has been shown to have associations with some pain-related cognitive and behavioral lower-order traits, such as pain catastrophizing. 15,[19][20][21] Pain catastrophizing has been associated with sensitivity to pain in healthy pain-free individuals exposed to various experimental evoked-pain paradigms, as well as in patients with chronic pain conditions, 16,[22][23][24] and has appeared as a solid predictor of pain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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More Insight on the Role of Personality Traits and Sensitivity to Experimental Pain

Grouper¹,

Eisenberg²,

Pud³

2021

JPR

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Purpose The present study aimed to assess the influence of personality traits on the variability of sensitivity to pain in two distinct groups of healthy subjects with low versus high sensitivity to pain (LSP vs HSP, respectively). Methods Healthy subjects (n=156) were allocated to two groups according to their tolerability to cold stimulation (cold pressor test, CPT, 1°C). Group LSP (n=76) reached the cut-off time of 180±0 sec, and a size matched group of HSP (n=80) tolerated the CPT for an average of 10.5±3.4 sec only. Subjects from both groups completed the self-reported pain sensitivity questionnaire (PSQ), the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), and the Neuroticism Extraversion Openness - Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Results In comparison to the LSP group, HSP individuals had higher scores of PSQ ( p <0.001), catastrophizing ( p =0.001), and extraversion ( p =0.01). By adjusting for age and gender, mediation analyses revealed that catastrophizing mediated the relationship between neuroticism and pain sensitivity, both in the allocation of subjects to a certain group of sensitivity to pain (LSP or HSP, B=0.02 95% CI: 0.006–0.040) and in the PSQ score (B=0.01 95% CI: 0.001–0.023). Conclusion These results, which were demonstrated by two different prisms (CPT and PSQ), point to the potential of the five-factor inventory and pain catastrophizing scale as tools for identifying specific personality traits associated with a high sensitivity to pain.

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“…Compared to pain detection thresholds, pain tolerance has long been thought to reflect more cognitive-evaluative aspects [72]. It may, therefore, act as an experimental proxy of hypervigilance or pain-related fear [73], which also presumably play a significant role in evaluating muscle pain intensity.…”

Section: Baseline Prediction Of Experimental Muscle Pain Intensitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychophysical predictors of experimental muscle pain intensity following fatiguing calf exercise

et al. 2021

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Musculoskeletal pain affects approximately 20% of the population worldwide and represents one of the leading causes of global disability. As yet, precise mechanisms underlying the development of musculoskeletal pain and transition to chronicity remain unclear, though individual factors such as sleep quality, physical activity, affective state, pain catastrophizing and psychophysical pain sensitivity have all been suggested to be involved. This study aimed to investigate whether factors at baseline could predict musculoskeletal pain intensity to an experimental delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) pain model. Demographics, physical activity, pain catastrophizing, affective state, sleep quality, isometric force production, temporal summation of pain, and psychophysical pain sensitivity using handheld and cuff algometry were assessed at baseline (Day-0) and two days after (Day-2) in 28 healthy participants. DOMS was induced on Day-0 by completing eccentric calf raises on the non-dominant leg to fatigue. On Day-2, participants rated pain on muscle contraction (visual analogue scale, VAS, 0-10cm) and function (Likert scale, 0–6). DOMS resulted in non-dominant calf pain at Day-2 (3.0±2.3cm), with significantly reduced isometric force production (P<0.043) and handheld pressure pain thresholds (P<0.010) at Day-2 compared to Day-0. Linear regression models using backward selection predicted from 39.3% (P<0.003) of VAS to 57.7% (P<0.001) of Likert score variation in DOMS pain intensity and consistently included cuff pressure pain tolerance threshold (P<0.01), temporal summation of pain (P<0.04), and age (P<0.02) as independent predictive factors. The findings indicate that age, psychological and central pain mechanistic factors are consistently associated with pain following acute muscle injury.

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Psychological and Genetic Predictors of Pain Tolerance

Cited by 16 publications

References 39 publications

Pain Processing in Elite and High-Level Athletes Compared to Non-athletes

Pain Processing in Elite and High-Level Athletes Compared to Non-athletes

More Insight on the Role of Personality Traits and Sensitivity to Experimental Pain

Psychophysical predictors of experimental muscle pain intensity following fatiguing calf exercise

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