Evaluation of pain in athletes : selected methods

It is generally believed that athletes experience pain in a different way than normally active individuals. Many scientists have confirmed the hypothesis that long-term physical activity can alter the perception of pain, i.e. athletes have a higher pain sensation and pain tolerance thresholds. The measurement of pain intensity is carried out using subjective methods based on verbal and non-verbal information, describing the clinical characteristics of pain. These psychological methods include the use of scales and questionnaires. Objective methods (thermal, mechanical and electrical) are used only to determine the pain sensation and pain tolerance thresholds. The specificity and prevalence of chronic pain syndromes have resulted in the increased number of studies on healthy and physically active individuals. It seems that determination of the effects of exercise on the perception of pain might help in the understanding of mechanisms of pain generation.