Good attitude may make exercise less painful

By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The right attitude may take some of the aches and pains out of vigorous exercise, new research suggests.

In a small study of young, physically active women, researchers found that those who firmly believed they could tolerate the pain of a tough workout actually did feel less muscle soreness as they exercised.

The findings suggest that boosting people's feelings of "self-efficacy" could help them keep up an active lifestyle, the study authors report in the Journal of Pain.

Self-efficacy refers to a person's belief that he or she can accomplish a goal. The theory is that people with high self-efficacy tend to approach challenges, like exercise, as something to be taken on and mastered, rather than avoided.

For people who dabble in exercise, muscle aches may keep them from coming back. So researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign looked at whether exercisers' beliefs about their ability to withstand pain affected their actual experience of pain.

The study included 16 physically active young women who were asked to exercise to their maximum on a stationary bike. Before the workout, the women rated their own ability to keep cycling even if they developed pain in their thigh muscles. Then, as they pedaled away, they repeatedly rated the amount of pain they were actually feeling.

In general, the researchers found, women who had greater faith in their own pain tolerance before the workout reported less pain as they exercised.

This finding is consistent with what's known as social-cognitive theory, according to lead study author Dr. Robert W. Motl, an assistant professor of kinesiology and community health at the university.

It's thought that people who are more confident in their coping abilities should be able to "organize the appropriate resources for minimizing pain and discomfort," Motl told Reuters Health.

For those who have little faith in their ability to deal with exercise aches, the good news is that it is possible to boost self-efficacy, according to Motl.

One way, he noted, is "social modeling," which essentially refers to witnessing a friend or someone else similar to you accomplish an exercise goal -- the "if she can do it, I can do it," principle. Getting some deserved words of encouragement on your efforts might also help.

SOURCE: Journal of Pain, July 2007.