The longer we exercise the more tolerance we may have towards pain, a new study has found, potentially showing how physical activity can impact perceptions of discomfort.

Numerous pieces of research have previously found that exercise can help to provide brief but concentrated relief for pain, given that the body releases natural opiates after physical activity.

However, there has been limited research on the longer-term impact exercise has on our tolerance of pain.

In order to study the impact of exercise on the perception of pain, researchers at the University of New South Wales and Neuroscience Research Australia asked 12 young and healthy but inactive adults, who expressed interest in exercising, to take part in the research.

This group was paired with another cohort of 12 people who were of a similar age and had comparable activity levels, but who preferred not to exercise.

The groups were then invited to a lab, where their pain thresholds were tested using both a probe placed on the arm and a blood pressure cuff to establish where the subjects’ tolerance lines ended.

Once the thresholds were recorded, the groups were sent away for six weeks to get back on with their daily routines, though the group interested in exercise was placed on a programme of moderate stationary bicycling for 30 minutes, three times a week, for the entire six-week period.

After six weeks the participants were asked to return to the lab to undergo the same pain tolerance tests, with those who gained improved fitness through exercise showing a greater tolerance during the pain tests.

The tests showed that their pain thresholds remained the same, but those who had conducted exercises found that although they felt pain at the same point as before, they were now able to tolerate it for a longer period.

The scientists behind the study said the findings – despite not being able to show exactly why tolerance and exercise correlate – do help to show why people tend to feel less discomfort when they stick to exercise programmes for longer.

The research could also help to provide evidence that physical activity can be used to ease the symptoms of chronic pain, potentially leading exercise to be used to develop treatment methods to help people to take part in more daily activities.

The results of the study were published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.