The Effects of Pain Expectancy and Desire for Pain Relief on the Memory of Pain in Half Trail Marathon Runners

Purpose: It has been shown that the memory of pain induced by running might be underestimated. Our previous study showed the contribution of emotional factors to this process. This study aimed to investigate the cognitive factors that might influence the memory of this type of pain, ie expectancy of pain intensity, expectancy of pain unpleasantness, and desire for pain relief. Participants and Methods: A total of 49 half-marathon runners rated the intensity and unpleasantness of pain immediately after completing a run and one month later. Participants rated the expected intensity and unpleasantness of the upcoming pain before starting the run, as well as the desire for pain relief after its completion. Those who also participated in the previous edition of the half marathon were asked to recall the pain experienced due to that run. Results: Participants underestimated remembered pain intensity and unpleasantness. The desire for pain relief mediated the memory of pain intensity (p < 0.05), while expectancy of pain intensity influenced memory of pain intensity (a x b) through its effect on the experienced pain (bootstrapped point estimate = 0.08; 95% CI: 0.02-0.32). The remembered intensity of pain experienced during the previous half marathon affected the current pain experience directly (p < 0.05) or indirectly (a x b) by generating pain-related expectancy (bootstrapped point estimate = 0.11; 95% CI: 0.01-0.46). The cognitive variables did not influence the memory of pain unpleasantness. Conclusion: The memory of pain induced by sports activity may change due to cognitive factors; however, further research is needed to investigate their role in shaping the memory of the sensory and affective dimensions of pain.

Automated summary

The cognitive factors, such as expectancy of pain intensity and desire for pain relief, can influence the memory of pain induced by running, but do not affect the memory of pain unpleasantness.