Heugen, N. (2017) The Effect of Exercise on Pain Thresholds in Athletes With Persistent Patellar Tendon Complaints. thesis, Sport Sciences.
Full text available on request.Abstract
Objectives: The first objective was to study the effect of exercise on pain thresholds in athletes with and without patellar tendon complaints and to evaluate if and to what extent endogenous pain inhibition occurs during and after regular exercise in these athletes. The second aim was to assess whether pain catastrophising, central sensitisation or mental toughness are covariates in the possible relationship between exercise and the inhibition of pain. Design: Blinded and controlled, repeated-measures, between groups cross-sectional study. Setting: Regular volleyball and basketball training sessions. Participants: 30 volleyball and basketball players with patellar tendon complaints and 28 healthy controls. Main Outcome Measures: Pain thresholds of both patellar tendons and the extensor tendon at the lateral side of the dominant elbow were measured with a pressure algometer, before, during and after a regular training session. Pain catastrophising was assessed with the Dutch version of the Pain Catastrophe Scale, central sensitisation was assessed with the Dutch version of the Central Sensitisation Inventory (CSI) and mental toughness was measured with the Dutch version of the Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ-48). The extent of knee complaints was evaluated with the Dutch version of the VISA-P. After the training, rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and pain intensity (on a visual analogue scale) were recorded. Results: Between groups: it was found that before, during and after training, symptomatic athletes showed lower pain thresholds in their symptomatic knee than their healthy controls. They also showed lower pain thresholds in their asymptomatic knee. Only after 15 minutes of training, the pain threshold in their elbow was lower than in their healthy controls. Within groups: no significant changes of pain thresholds were identified when these values of before, during and after training were compared. No significant differences in scores on the CSI, PCS and MTQ were identified between both groups. Conclusions: It was found that no strong inhibition or increase of pain was present in volleyball and basketball players with patellar tendon complaints. However, large individual differences were observed. This implies that every athlete with patellar tendon complaints has a different response to physical exercise. Further research is necessary to determine why it is that these differences are present. Key Words: Exercise-induced pain, hyperalgesia, central pain mechanism, athletic injuries
| Item Type: | Thesis (UNSPECIFIED) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Brink, dr. M.S. and Wilgen, prof. dr. C.P. van |
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 06 May 2022 10:49 |
| Last Modified: | 06 May 2022 10:49 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3235 |
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