eLife · 30 October 2026 · From issue 60
Fitness level, but not sex, affects exercise-induced pain modulation
Fitness level, not sex, decides who feels less pain after hard exercise.
Janne Ina Nold, Tahmine Fadai et al.
Hard exercise can dull pain more than easy exercise, but only for people who are very fit. In a study of 21 highly fit women, intense exercise lowered heat pain ratings more than light exercise, especially for the strongest pain test. When researchers combined this data with an earlier study, fitness level explained the pain relief, not sex.
The number of highly fit women tested for pain relief after hard versus easy exercise.
Only 21 highly fit women tested, no men or low-fit women.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 1 November 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (eLife). Read the source
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