SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Turkish Journal of Kinesiology / 2026 / Volume: 12 Issue: 3

Pressure pain threshold in combat and team sports athletes: An investigation of differences across anatomical regions

Özgür Gülen(Yalova Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports, Yalova, Türkiye.)0000-0002-2305-3098
Mehmet Kumartaşlı(Faculty of Sport Sciences, Süleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Türkiye.)0000-0002-7828-546X
Pages
—
Publication Date
2026-06-30
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed a significant overall effect of sport type on PPT values (Pillai’s Trace = .283, F(6, 65) = 4.27, p = .001).

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:The aim of this study was to examine the distribution of pressure pain threshold (PPT) across different anatomical regions in athletes engaged in combat and team sports and to determine whether these profiles differ according to sport type.
📊
Key Findings & Data:A total of 72 athletes voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional study, including 36 combat sport athletes (taekwondo, boxing, and wrestling) and 36 team sport athletes (football, volleyball, basketball).
💡
Conclusion & Impact:Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed a significant overall effect of sport type on PPT values (Pillai’s Trace = .283, F(6, 65) = 4.27, p = .001).
🔬Design:Research Article
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Algometer · contact sports · nociception

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the distribution of pressure pain threshold (PPT) across different anatomical regions in athletes engaged in combat and team sports and to determine whether these profiles differ according to sport type. A total of 72 athletes voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional study, including 36 combat sport athletes (taekwondo, boxing, and wrestling) and 36 team sport athletes (football, volleyball, basketball). Each sport branch included an equal number of participants (n = 12), consisting of 6 female and 6 male athletes. PPT was measured using a pressure algometer at six anatomical regions: the deltoid muscle, quadriceps muscle, hypothenar eminence, ulna, tibia, and thumb. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed a significant overall effect of sport type on PPT values (Pillai’s Trace = .283, F(6, 65) = 4.27, p = .001). Combat sport athletes demonstrated significantly higher PPT values than team sport athletes across all anatomical regions (p < .05). The largest effects were observed in the ulna (η² = .25) and hypothenar regions (η² = .22), while the smallest effect was found in the tibia (η² = .12). In addition, PPT values varied across anatomical regions, with higher values in the ulna and quadriceps and lower values in the deltoid muscle. These findings indicate that PPT differs according to sport type and is not uniformly distributed across the body. The results suggest that sport-specific physical and psychological adaptations play an important role in pain perception, and that evaluating PPT as a region-specific construct may provide practical implications for athlete monitoring and training planning.

🔖

Cite This Article

Gülen, Ö., Kumartaşlı, M. (2026). Pressure pain threshold in combat and team sports athletes: An investigation of differences across anatomical regions. Turkish Journal of Kinesiology, Volume: 12 Issue: 3. https://doi.org/10.31459/turkjkin.1926474

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (22)

  1. Astokorki, A. H. Y., & Mauger, A. R. (2017). Tolerance of exercise-induced pain at a fixed rating of perceived exertion predicts time trial cycling performance. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 27, 309–317. doi: 10.1111/sms.12659
  2. Crombez, G., Eccleston, C., Van Damme, S., Vlaeyen, J. W. S., & Karoly, P. (2012). Fear-avoidance model of chronic pain: the next generation. Clin J Pain, 28(6), 475–483. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0B013E3182385392
  3. Fischer, A. A. (1987). Pressure algometry over normal muscles. Standard values, validity and reproducibility of pressure threshold. Pain, 30(1), 115–126. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(87)90089-3
  4. Flood, A., Waddington, G., Thompson, K., & Cathcart, S. (2017). Increased conditioned pain modulation in athletes. J Sports Sci, 35(11), 1066–1072. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2016.1210196
  5. Karasar, N. (2002). Scientific research method (11th ed.). Nobel Publishing [In Turkish]
  6. Leźnicka, K., Pawlak, M., Białecka, M., Safranow, K., & Cięszczyk, P. (2017). Pain perception and cardiovascular system response among athletes playing contact sports. Res Sports Med, 25(3), 290–299. doi: 10.1080/15438627.2017.1314288
  7. Leźnicka, K., Pawlak, M., Białecka, M., Safranow, K., Spieszny, M., Klocek, T., & Cięszczyk, P. (2016). Evaluation of the pain threshold and tolerance of pain by martial arts athletes and non-athletes using a different methods and tools. Arch Budo, 12, 239-245.
  8. Mauger, A. R. (2019). Exercise-induced pain: A psychophysiological perspective. In S. Marcora & M. Sarkar (Eds.), Endurance performance in sport: Psychological theory and interventions (pp. 35–46). Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315167312-3
  9. Meints, S. M., & Edwards, R. R. (2018). Evaluating psychosocial contributions to chronic pain outcomes. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry, 87(Pt B), 168–182. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.01.017
  10. Nazaré, M. S. L. de, Silva, J. A. M. G., Navega, M. T., & Fagnello-Navega, F. R. (2014). Comparison of pain threshold and duration of pain perception in men and women of different ages. Fisioter Mov, 27(1), 77–84. doi: 10.1590/0103-5150.027.001.AO08
  11. O’Farrell, A., Sauvé, W., Bergevin, M., Cimadoro, G., Arvisais, D., Rainville, P., & Pageaux, B. (2022). Pain perception in contact sport athletes: A scoping review. Sports Med, 52, 2593–2604. doi: 10.1007/s40279-022-01721-z
  12. Pettersen, S. D., Aslaksen, P. M., & Pettersen, S. A. (2020). Pain processing in elite and high-level athletes compared to non-athletes. Front Psychol, 11. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01908
  13. Raja, S. N., Carr, D. B., Cohen, M., Finnerup, N. B., Flor, H., Gibson, S., Keefe, F. J., Mogil, J. S., Ringkamp, M., Sluka, K. A., Song, X. J., Stevens, B., Sullivan, M. D., Tutelman, P. R., Ushida, T., & Vader, K. (2020). The Revised IASP definition of pain: concepts, challenges, and compromises. Pain, 161(9), 1976. doi: 10.1097/J.PAIN.0000000000001939
  14. Raudenbush, B., Canter, R. J., Corley, N., Grayhem, R., Koon, J., Lilley, S., Meyer, B., & Wilson, I. (2012). Pain threshold and tolerance differences among intercollegiate athletes: Implication of past sports injuries and willingness to compete among sports teams. N Am J Psychol, 14 (1) 85–94.
  15. Sands, W. A., Mcneal, J. R., Murray, S. R., & Stone, M. H. (2015). Dynamic compression enhances pressure-to-pain threshold in elite athlete recovery: Exploratory study. J Strength Cond Res, 29, 1263–1272. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000412
  16. Sciranka, J., & Kaplánová, A. (2021). Sports injuries and psychological aspects of pain perception of athletes. Acta Gymn, 51. doi: 10.5507/AG.2021.021
  17. Slimani, M., Miarka, B., Briki, W., & Cheour, F. (2016). Comparison of mental toughness and power test performances in high-level kickboxers by competitive success. Asian J Sports Med, 7(2). doi: 10.5812/asjsm.30840
  18. Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (7th ed.). Pearson.
  19. Tesarz, J., Schuster, A. K., Hartmann, M., Gerhardt, A., & Eich, W. (2012). Pain perception in athletes compared to normally active controls: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Pain, 153, 1253–1262. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2012.03.005
  20. Thornton, C., Baird, A., & Sheffield, D. (2024). Athletes and experimental pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Pain, 25(6), 104450. doi: 10.1016/J.JPAIN.2023.12.007
  21. Wing, A. E. (2013). The influence of pressure stimulus intensity on pain perception and neuromuscular performance in healthy males [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Northampton, England.
  22. Zeller, L., Shimoni, N., Vodonos, A., Sagy, I., Barski, L., & Buskila, D. (2019). Pain sensitivity and athletic performance. J Sports Med Phys Fitness, 59, 1635–1639. doi: 10.23736/S0022-4707.19.09791-3