Low pain threshold due to overweight? No, an extra layer of fat does not provide protection against pain. In fact, people with a lot of overweight are actually more sensitive to pressure pain. At least, according to new research from England.
Low pain threshold is no cushion for the pushin’!
Overweight can cause painful complaints due to the extra pressure on joints. However, what does overweight mean for the pain threshold itself?
Researchers from Leeds Beckett University studied the differences in pain response between different groups of people [1]. The outcomes could form an additional reason for people with overweight and chronic pain, to lose weight.
74 volunteers participated in the study and were divided into groups based on their BMI:
“Obese”, “Overweight” and “Normal”.
The volunteers were subjected to pressure, cold, and heat at two spots on the body. First on the hand, at the base of the thumb. A spot with little body fat. Then at the waist, at the love handles. The volunteers were asked at what point the pressure, cold, or heat first felt painful.
In addition, they were asked to immerse their hand in ice water and indicate when it became painful.
In the “obese” group, pressure was experienced as painful from an average pressure of 4.3 kg per square centimeter. In the group with a normal BMI, this was not experienced as painful until 8.6kg per cm2. Interestingly, in the “overweight” group (which thus sat in the middle in terms of BMI) it was not until 10kg per cm2. So, a bit of overweight might actually have the largest positive correlation with a high pain threshold?
As for the response to cold and heat, there were no significant differences between the three groups that would indicate that an extra layer of fat (sensationally) provides no extra protection against extreme temperature.
Obese people are more likely to experience pain from factors such as the mechanical impact of increased weight on joints than people with a normal BMI. But our study suggests that even in areas of the body which are not bearing weight, obese people are more susceptible to pressure pain… The overweight group had the highest pressure pain threshold, which might be because there were more people in this group taking part in physical activities, which could also affect how a person feels pain,”
Dr Osama Tashani, Daily Science
High pain threshold for overweight, low pain threshold for obesity?
The possible explanation given for the fact that the ‘overweight’ group had the highest pain threshold is their physical activity. Another explanation might be that a low pain threshold in the “Obese” group causes them to avoid activity more often. However, this does not explain why the group with a normal BMI had a lower pain threshold than the ‘overweight’ group.
Even when you fill in some examples.
Take a man of 1.83m tall and a weight of 80kg. This places him in the ‘normal’ group. If he gains 10 kilos, he falls into the ‘overweight’ group and, according to this study, his pain threshold would rise. Then, he gets into a downward spiral of guilt and binge eating and becomes 10-15 kilos heavier. The exact number is not quite clear since the scale has been thrown out the window by then. He has ended up in the ‘Obese’ group and his pain threshold, which was the highest a few months ago, is now the lowest.
I can’t make much more of it than: “A bit of overweight is okay, but don’t overdo it”.
However, that doesn’t roll off the tongue as well as a fitness fan would like. So, the other explanation appeals to me more: “Don’t let a few pains stop you from physical activity”.
The researchers want to learn more about the differences in individual pain thresholds in further research. They want to investigate, among other things, which substances are released by fatty acids in the body and how these could affect pain receptors.
References
- O. A Tashani, R. Astita, D. Sharp, M. I Johnson. Body mass index and distribution of body fat can influence sensory detection and pain sensitivity. European Journal of Pain, 2017; DOI: 10.1002/ejp.1019
- Leeds Beckett University. “Obese people have lower pain threshold, new research shows.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 March 2017.
