Anderson Abigail W, Soncini Arthur, Lyons Kaitlyn, Hanney William J
School of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA;
NeuroSci. 2024 May 11;5(2):158-168. doi: 10.3390/neurosci5020011. eCollection 2024 Jun.
Myofascial stretching is often prescribed in the management of musculoskeletal pain. However, the neural mechanisms contributing to a decrease in pain are unknown. Stretching produces a sensation that may act as a conditioning stimulus in a conditioned pain modulation response. The purpose of this study was to compare immediate changes in pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) during a low-intensity stretch, moderate-intensity stretch, and cold water immersion task. A secondary purpose was to examine if personal pain sensitivity and psychological characteristics were associated with the responses to these interventions. Twenty-seven (27) healthy participants underwent a cross-over study design in which they completed a cold water immersion task, upper trapezius stretch to the onset of the stretch sensation, and a moderate-intensity stretch. A significant condition x time effect was observed (F (8,160) = 2.85, < 0.01, partial eta = 0.13), indicating reductions in pain sensitivity were significantly greater during a cold water immersion task compared to moderate-intensity stretching at minutes two and four. Widespread increases in heat pain threshold and lower pain-related anxiety were moderately correlated with the response to the cold water immersion task but not stretching. Moderate-intensity stretching may not elicit a conditioned pain modulation response possibly because the stretch was not intense enough to be perceived as painful.
肌筋膜拉伸常用于肌肉骨骼疼痛的管理。然而，疼痛减轻的神经机制尚不清楚。拉伸会产生一种感觉，这种感觉可能在条件性疼痛调制反应中充当条件刺激。本研究的目的是比较在低强度拉伸、中等强度拉伸和冷水浸泡任务期间压力疼痛阈值（PPTs）的即时变化。第二个目的是检查个人疼痛敏感性和心理特征是否与这些干预措施的反应相关。27名健康参与者进行了一项交叉研究设计，他们完成了冷水浸泡任务、上斜方肌拉伸至拉伸感觉开始以及中等强度拉伸。观察到显著的条件×时间效应（F(8,160)=2.85，<0.01，偏η=0.13），表明与冷水浸泡任务相比，在第2分钟和第4分钟时，中等强度拉伸期间疼痛敏感性的降低明显更大。热痛阈值的广泛增加和较低的疼痛相关焦虑与冷水浸泡任务的反应呈中度相关，但与拉伸无关。中等强度拉伸可能不会引发条件性疼痛调制反应，可能是因为拉伸强度不够大，不足以被视为疼痛。
