Habituation Attenuates the Sex-specific Associations Between Ischemic Pain, Blood Pressure, and Arterial Stiffness
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-2023
Publication Title
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) during physical stress is prognostic for incident cardiovascular disease. CVR is influenced by perceived pain. However, there is limited data on the effect of sex differences and repeated exposures to painful stimuli on CVR. METHODS: We measured blood pressure (BP) and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV; an index of arterial stiffness) at rest, during isometric handgrip (HG) exercise at 30% of maximum voluntary contraction, and during post-exercise circulatory occlusion (PECO) during two identical trials in 39 adults (20M/19F; 18-39 yrs). We assessed participants’ perceived pain using a visual analog scale after the first minute of each stimulus. We collected BP during minute two of each stimulus and cf-PWV during minute three of each stimulus. RESULTS: In male participants, we observed moderate associations (Ps≤0.023) between perceived pain and changes in brachial diastolic (r=0.620) and mean BP (r=0.597); central diastolic, mean, and systolic BP (rs=0.519-0.654); and cf-PWV (r=0.680) during PECO in trial #1, but not trial #2 (Ps≥0.162). However, in female participants, there were no associations between pain and CVR indices during either trial (Ps≥0.137). Irrespective of sex, reductions in perceived pain during trial #2 relative to trial #1 were weakly to moderately associated (Ps≤0.038) with reductions in brachial diastolic (r=0.346), mean (r=0.379), and systolic BP (r=0.333); central mean (r=0.400) and systolic BP (r=0.369); and cf-PWV (r=0.526). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest 1) there are sex differences in pain modulation of CVR in young adults and 2) habituation blunts pain and CVR during PECO, irrespective of sex.
Recommended Citation
Roberts, Andrew, Zoe R. Lincoln, Wesley Blumenburg, Brett Cross, Joseph Vondrasek, Joseph Watso, Andrew Flatt, Braxton Linder, Austin Robinson, Gregory Grosicki.
2023.
"Habituation Attenuates the Sex-specific Associations Between Ischemic Pain, Blood Pressure, and Arterial Stiffness."
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings, 16 (2): Western Kentucky University Press.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/health-kinesiology-facpubs/322
Comments
"Georgia Southern University faculty member, Andrew Flatt and Gregory Grosicki co-authored Habituation Attenuates the Sex-specific Associations Between Ischemic Pain, Blood Pressure, and Arterial Stiffness.