Different ways of giving feedback influence on pain threshold after exercise

Mimu Nakamura, Hirobumi Kawamura, Ieyasu Watanabe, Hiroshi Kondo, Hayato Enoki, Yoji Osako, Takahiro Okuda, Hideaki Takebayashi
Purpose:

 This study aims to determine whether differences in motivation during feedback changes pain thresholds.

Methods:

 Thirty students of the university threw a ball 30 times toward the target on a wall from a distance of 3 meters in a sitting position. Pain thresholds were measured at two sites: the central part of the deltoid muscle on the exercise side and the quadriceps muscle on the opposite side as a remote part using ZTA-100N IMADA immediately before, immediately after, and 5 minutes after the end of throwing. The degree of subjective motivation and enjoyment was also measured using the VAS immediately after the throwing. The 30 participants were divided into three groups: a group that received feedback of praise for hitting the target (praise FB group), a group that received feedback only on the score (score FB group), and a group that received no feedback (control group). 

 Statistical analysis was performed using the Friedman test followed by a multiple comparison test (Scheffe's F test). Mann-Whitney's U test was used for comparisons between groups. 

Results:

 In the deltoid and quadriceps of the praise FB group, pain thresholds significantly increased immediately after the end of throwing compared to immediately before, and returned to the same level immediately before at 5 minutes after the end of throwing.

 In the score FB group, the deltoid had similar results to the praise FB group, but the quadriceps showed significantly elevated pain thresholds both immediately after and 5 minutes after throwing compared to immediately before. There was no significant difference in the control group.

 A between-group comparison revealed that the praise FB group had a significantly higher rate of pain threshold increase immediately after the end of throwing than the score FB group. Furthermore, the praise FB group had a significantly lower rate of descent than the score FB group between immediately after and 5 minutes after the end of throwing.

 There was no significant correlation between pain threshold and subjective VAS.

Conclusion(s):

 Pain threshold was significantly higher in the praise FB group than in the score FB group immediately after exercise, suggesting that the reward system might be activated by praise and that the descending pain modulatory system functioned more strongly. In addition, the praise FB group showed a slower decrease than the score FB group from immediately after to 5 minutes after the end of exercise, suggesting that praise may prolong the duration of pain relief.

Implications:

 Effective feedback to patients may contribute to pain relief during physical therapy treatment.

Funding acknowledgements:
This research did not receive any external funding.
Keywords:
feedback
pain
pleasure motivation
Primary topic:
Pain and pain management
Second topic:
Education: methods of teaching and learning
Third topic:
Other
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
The Research Ethics Committee of University of Kochi Health Sciences
Provide the ethics approval number:
KHS102402
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
No

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