Role of Exercises in Pain Perception - Research Paper Example

? The role of exercises in pain perception Number Many researchers have established that the degree of pain in people after participating in exercise greatly lessened. In light of these findings, the reduced perception of pain was also recorded in victims, in the course of and after they engaged in an exercise in both experimental and real-life situations conditions. Although, some studies contest these findings, and the outcomes released by the proponents of the theory, by indicating that the condition hypoalgesia experienced by the victims in such may not be as a result of the aerobic exercise, researchers have established that aerobic exercise is a wholesome solution to not only high sensitivity to body pain, but that a structured body activity has other advantages such as improvement of mood. Introduction Pain perception can be reduced by exercises. Investigations to establish the role of exercise in pain perception has established that aerobic exercise not only limits the sensitivity of the body to pain but improves individual mood. Several studies have demonstrated that body exercise can be part of an antidote to patient pain when applied in clinical conditions (Koltyn, 2002; Nichols, &Glenn, 1994). According to Hoffman and Hoffman (2007), regular aerobic sessions are advantageous when applied to individuals suffering from psychological disorders, and constant pain. Further, the impact of exercise in lighting up the mood of individuals is beyond any doubt, more so if several studies published to this effect are anything to go by (Paalasmaa, Kemppainen, & Pertovaara, 1991): and mood is linked to individual pain, albeit to some extent. Despite the positive impacts of aerobic exercises in limiting pain perception, counter-arguments have erupted recently in regard to the role played by exercise in slowing the perception of pain among individuals (Padawe, & Levine, 1992). Many researchers have investigated the rationale of the theory to find out the repercussions of exercise on pain perception in individuals (Mintken, & Cleland, 2012; Tse, Wan, & Ho, 2011). This paper explores the role of exercises in pain perception. Despite the increasing support of this hypothesis, some researchers have made significant contributions against the theory of the role of exercises in reducing pain effect, by punching holes on the proposed hypothesis that connects aerobic sessions. Some opponents of the theory have suggested that the approaches used by the proponents of the theory are inaccurate, and will not stand the test of time (Eggen, Stuge, Mowinckel, Jensen, & Hagen, 2012; Tse, Wan, & Ho, 2011). It is apparent, though, that these researches were premised primarily on individuals suffering from pain only (Mintken, & Cleland, 2012). The opponents of the theory recommend that investigations on the connection between pain perception and exercise should also be done in healthy individuals in order to solve the puzzle in a more balanced way (Damsgard, Dewar, Roe, & Hamran, 2011; Mongini et al, 2012). Yet, some suggest that people undergoing different chronic pain episodes also should be investigated as this would guarantee accurate results premise upon representative samples (Unsgaard-Tondel, Fladmark, Salvesen, & Vasseljen, 2010). This is so; bearing in mind that avoiding bias in the process should form the basis of any research. In this research, which is premised on finding out the impact of exercise on pain perception, healthy participants were used. The individuals were drawn from the Psychology class. All the participants had their pain threshold and pain tolerance values recorded before and after engaging in a free ten-minute run exercise. Then results were analyzed with SPSS to find out any impact of aerobic exercise. The argument Does exercise have an impact on pain perception? Pain is linked to several human reactions. A painful stimulus such as a pinch will awaken an individual in sleep (Osteras, Torstensen, & Osteras, 2010). It can turn an individual’s focus and attention to the area on the body that is painful. And a closer look at the painful place may enable an individual to judge the nature of the pain and its effect on the victim. Pain can cue an individual to attempt to flee to safety from the dangerous place or immobilize the victim so that he or she does not suffer more injury. Additionally, pain impacts changes in blood flow by increasing heart rate, and an endocrine reaction with the secretion of high stress hormones. And for every activated response by the injurious activity resulting in pain, there is a distinct pathway in the central nervous system for its relaying. In healthy people, though, the sensory understanding of pain is normally triggered by body activities that activate certain nerve endings, referred to as primary afferent nociceptors (Escalante, Saavedra, Garcia-Hermoso, Silva, & Barbosa, 2010). In most cases, nociceptors are triggered by any activity that either impacts a change in the condition of the body processes. A large number of major afferent nociceptors react to numerous of noxious stimuli based on temperature, rigorous mechanical changes, and increased acidity of body tissues brought about by exercises. As a result of the lessened sensitivity to pain, exercise has been attributed to reduced pain perception in individuals during and after the body activity. Owing to the established connection between many kinds of pain and nervous or feeble muscles, any type of exercise in the neighborhood of moderate, such as taking a stroll or swimming, can play a great role in reduced pain perception by enhancing better blood flow and aeration of muscles (Bibel, 2007). Additionally, the fact that stress can be attributed to pain, and that exercise can contribute to stress reduction, thereby reducing pain perception and eventual alleviation may be factual. Body exercise has been established to reduce pain perception in people with slight back pain (Eggen, Stuge, Mowinckel, Jensen, & Hagen, 2012). In light of these findings, exercise has gradually turned out to be an approved part of a number of doctors' therapy regimes for victims with pain (Hurley, Walsh, Bhavnani, Britten, & Stevenson, 2010). Aims and hypotheses The purpose of this study is to investigate whether exercise does have a significant role in pain perception. Through the observation of past findings on the impact of exercise on pain, this report seeks to investigate the findings that exercise can lower pain perception in individuals. As at now, researchers conflict on the subject matter: whereas, some support the claims others dispute it. In light of the differences, this research aims to statistically demonstrates, which side of the argument carried more weight. The primary main aim of the report was to find out the impact of exercise pain perception through Cold Pressor Test after which the results were analyzed through SPSS. Methodology Participants This report was premised on the main data collected from the participants and used in the analysis. The participants were invited to take part in the experiment through a consent form. The form specified all the details required of the participants such as the exact duration of the experiment and the precise nature of the exercise. The participants were informed that the ten-minute exercise would involve running at one’s own pace and immersing their left arm in cold water before and after the run. The document clarified that, although, the body language may imply that the participants would face rigorous and painful exercises, it would only encompass the recording of some little unease or slight pain gained before and after the exercise. The ethical considerations included carrying out the experiment in summer to avoid complaints of cold water in winter season; and the need to pay participants. A group of 15 participants from my tutorial group were involved in the research. They were classified according to gender. Participants suggested their belief in the positive impact of exercise on pain perception. Technically, most participants who experienced pain in their body registered a lower level of pain perception after the exercises as compared to the remaining participants. The research design involved the taking of the pain level data from the participants using Cold Pressor Test before and after a ten-minute exercise. The subsequent data-taking processes were done five minutes after the exercise. The tests were aimed to measure the pain threshold and pain tolerance in the participants. Materials Several questionnaires were prepared and set aside for the purposes of this research. All the participants were proficient in English language; therefore, there was no need of engaging a translator. The questionnaire included sections that sought to expose the perception of the participants on the role played by exercise in reducing pain perception, and a section for filling in the findings from the Cold Pressor Test. Materials such as two bowls of ice water, two thermometers and stopwatches were used in the study. The research design was effective: it eventually confirmed a reduction of the impact of differences in response caused by alleged variations in how participants respond to the effects of exercise on pain perception. Procedure First, the participants were given the instructions on how to go about the process. Each participant was asked to dip his or her left hand into the cold water. The main purpose of this activity was to investigate how long it would take each participant to start feeling that the water was cold, but tolerable, and the amount of time it would take them to keep their hand in the water before it became too cold to withstand. The participants would remove their hand from the water at the earliest opportunity when they felt the water temperature was too cold to withstand. Then the participants were asked to run at their own pace for 10 minutes, while being timed using the stopwatches. When the time elapsed, the participants were asked to return, and rest for five minutes before the experiment was repeated. They were required to furnish the researchers with accurate readings regarding experiment, by informing them of the earliest moment when they noticed that the temperature of the water was unbearable. Results The results of the research were subjected to analysis with SPSS statistical application. The significance of carrying out various statistical experiments to help in the drawing of a cogent summary of the hypothesis proposed earlier, in which case, numerous tests were carried out. All the data related to the participants was entered in table 1, and after the analysis, the results indicated that there are significant variations in pain perception between participants who have not engaged in exercise and those that have come from an exercise a short while before final readings. This is a clear indication that the exercise of in this experiment contributed highly toward the reduction of pain perception in the participant classmates as indicated in table 2. Table 3 on the other hand demonstrates that the variation in pain perception does exist. According to the t-test findings, the run exercise actually reduced the perception in the participants that the water was cold and unbearable. The positive differences in the Threshold and Tolerance readings as presented in Table 3 corroborate the theory that exercises reduce pain perception in people. The results of table 1 and table 2 indicate a high standard deviation to the mean, which implies the run exercise impacted the outcomes by effectively raising the bar for each participant’s pain threshold and pain tolerance in the experiment. Discussion According to the research findings it would be rational to argue that exercise reduces pain perception in individuals. The Cold Pressor Test study invalidates the theories, which hold that there exists no connection between exercise and pain perception. This report demonstrates that statistically sound differences exist between an individual that is investigated for pain perception before and after a ten-minute exercise. In light of these variations, the findings support the theory of low sensitivity to pain in individuals who engage in exercises as opposed to those that do not. Generally, participants tended to withdraw their hand from the water after a shorter interval before the exercise that afterwards. This means aerobic exercise contributed immensely to their low sensitivity to the cold water, which in this case played the role of pain. Owing to the significance of aerobic exercise to low pain perception, the practice should be encouraged among victims suffering pain. Limitations of the study The study had several limitations that might have impacted the accuracy of the results. First, due to the fact that individual response to stimuli varies from person to person, some participants whose bodies are more reactive to cold may have prematurely withdrawn their hands from the cold water. Second, by allowing each participant to run at their own pace, it was possible that the participants got varied intensity of body stimuli, thus the possible inconsistency in the outcomes. Finally, there were some inconsistencies in the study regarding the exact time for recording the data. For instance, some participants withdrew their hands from the cold water when they noticed that it was unbearably cold, but took more time complaining of the water temperature instead of informing the researchers first, in order to allow for recording of the findings. In light of these limitations, future researches on this topic should be carried out on a uniform platform, in which case, only participants with common characteristics should be used in the experiment. These may be people with similar responses to stimuli. Uniform participants should then be taken through standard exercise in order to achieve consistent outcomes. Conclusion Although, past research studies conflict in regard to the impacts of aerobic exercise in reducing pain, structured body activity is largely attributed to a reduction of pain in victims suffering from all forms of pain. Exercises are said to reduce body sensitivity to pain and are believed to improve individual mood. In light of this argument and counterarguments about the role of exercise in human body, this report was premised on establishing whether there is a link between aerobic exercise and a reduction in pain perception. The results revealed that indeed, individuals who exercise their body experience reduced sensitivity to cold water, which in this case played the role of a painful stimulus. It is therefore, rational to argue that exercise reduces pain perception in individuals. Appendix Tables showing the results from an SPSS analysis in the report Table 1: the overall data on the statuses of the participants Gender Mean N Std. Deviation Minimum Maximum F 21.5000 10 5.83571 19.00 38.00 M 25.4000 5 8.98888 18.00 40.00 Total 22.8000 15 6.97137 18.00 40.00 Table 2: Paired sample statistics Mean N Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean Part 1 Threshold 1 22.9367 15 15.87054 4.09775 Threshold2 38.6133 15 30.01385 7.74954 Part 2 Tolerance 1 73.9147 15 51.50143 13.29761 Tolerance 2 88.5333 15 57.97088 14.96801 Table 3: Representing the paired sample test. Paired differences 95% confidence interval of the difference t Sig. (2-tailed) Lower Upper Part 1 Threshold 1-Threshold2 -26.73522 -4.61811 -3.040 0.009 Pair 2 Tolerance 1-Tolerance 2 -28.82075 -41658 -2.208 0.044 References Bibel, B.M. (2007). Water Exercises for Osteoarthritis: The Effective Way To Reduce Pain and Stiffness, While Increasing Endurance and Strength. Library Journal, 132(13), 110. 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Motor Control Exercises, Sling Exercises, and General Exercises for Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial with 1-Year Follow-up. Physical Therapy, 90(10), 1426-1440. Read More