The following is a summary of “Examining the role of mood in pain-limited treadmill walking duration in young healthy individuals,” published in the August 2023 issue of Pain by Lu et al.
Researchers performed a retrospective study to investigate the impact of acute mood manipulation on treadmill walking duration during experimental pain application.
They employed a repeated-measure, within-subject study design with 30 healthy subjects (Males: 16, Females: 14; age: 22.9 ± 2.5 years; height: 170.9 ± 9.5 cm; body mass: 68.4 ± 14.6 kg). Participants attended a familiarization session and three experimental sessions where they simultaneously viewed emotionally evoking stimuli from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) while performing two treadmill walking tests (maximum 10 min duration) with a fixed nociceptive input applied to the thigh (pressure cuff). The primary outcome measured was treadmill walking duration during pain application to achieve a fixed pain score. Mood (Self-Assessment Manikin: SAM 0–9) and pain (numerical rating scale: NRS 0–10) were assessed during walking.
The results showed significant differences in mood valence scores across all conditions (P <0.001): negative (2.4 ± 0.3), neutral (4.9 ± 0.6), and positive (6.6 ± 0.3). Treadmill walking duration varied significantly between mood states (P=0.04). Post hoc analysis revealed differences in treadmill walking durations to reach pain scores of 3 (negative: 224 ± 49 s; positive: 259 ± 60s, ES: 0.80), 4 (negative: 262 ± 59 s; positive: 326 ± 90s, ES: 0.92), 5 (negative: 313 ± 86 s; positive: 385 ± 113 s, ES: 0.90), 6 (negative: 367 ± 106 s; positive: 447 ± 113 s, ES: 1.04), and 7 (negative: 423 ± 114 s; positive: 521 ± 110 s, ES: 1.02). There was no significant difference in treadmill walking duration between neutral and negative or neutral and positive mood conditions.
They concluded that mood modulation can influence healthy individuals’ pain tolerance and exercise duration.
Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ejp.2170
