Exercise-induced hypoalgesia following HIIT: associations with cardiac interoceptive accuracy and the moderation by physical fitness
- 1Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Jena , ,
- 2Department of Clinical Psychology, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena , ,
Abstract
Introduction: Exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH) refers to the reduction in pain perception following acute exercise, yet the roles of aerobic fitness and interoception in this response remain unclear.
Methods: This study investigated pain perception and cardiac interoceptive accuracy before and after high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in endurance athletes and non-athletes. Forty-one healthy adults (20 athletes, 21 non-athletes) completed a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test to determine VO₂max and self-report measures, including the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA). On a second study day, participants underwent pressure pain testing and a HBDT before and after HIIT. Training status was operationalized both categorically (athletes vs. non-athletes) and continuously (VO₂max).
Results: Athletes showed greater EIH than non-athletes, reflected in a significant reduction in pain following HIIT in athletes only and a larger pain change score compared with non-athletes. Higher VO₂max was likewise associated with greater pain reduction. Baseline cardiac interoceptive accuracy was positively associated with VO₂max, and interoceptive accuracy decreased significantly from pre- to post-exercise in both groups, with a more pronounced decline in athletes. MAIA scores showed no significant associations. VO₂max also significantly moderated the relation between post-exercise changes in cardiac interoceptive accuracy and pain reduction, suggesting that the link between interoceptive change and EIH differed as a function of aerobic fitness.
Discussion: From an adaptation-based, hormesis-informed perspective, the findings are compatible with a distinction between acute cost and longer-term adaptation: intense exercise may transiently reduce cardiac interoceptive accuracy, while repeated exposure may be associated with better baseline interoceptive accuracy and more effective post-exercise pain modulation.
Related
- Pre‐Exercise Conditioned Pain Modulation Is Associated With Exercise‐Induced Hypoalgesia in Patients With Painful Rotator Cuff Tears
- Understanding interoceptive modeling and categorization following early-life adversity
- Lactate and panic across infusion and exercise contexts: an interoceptive context-gating hypothesis
- A Multi-Regional Study Comparing Perceived Risks between Face-to-Face versus Digital Mental Health Services - Associations with Differences in Preferences and Behavioral Intentions and the Moderation of Self-Construal: A Cross-Sectional Study
- IL-17, neutrophil activation and muscle damage following endurance exercise
BibTeX
@article{geisler2026exerciseinduced,
title = {{Exercise-induced hypoalgesia following HIIT: associations with cardiac interoceptive accuracy and the moderation by physical fitness}},
author = {Maria Geisler and Marco Herbsleb and Alexander Ritter and Feliberto de la Cruz and Yubraj Gupta and Andy Schumann and Ilona Croy and Karl-Jürgen Bär},
journal = {Frontiers in psychology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1953847},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13721068},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Exercise-induced hypoalgesia following HIIT: associations with cardiac interoceptive accuracy and the moderation by physical fitness
AU - Maria Geisler
AU - Marco Herbsleb
AU - Alexander Ritter
AU - Feliberto de la Cruz
AU - Yubraj Gupta
AU - Andy Schumann
AU - Ilona Croy
AU - Karl-Jürgen Bär
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - Frontiers in psychology
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1953847
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13721068
AB - Introduction: Exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH) refers to the reduction in pain perception following acute exercise, yet the roles of aerobic fitness and interoception in this response remain unclear. Methods: This study investigated pain perception and cardiac interoceptive accuracy before and after high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in endurance athletes and non-athletes. Forty-one healthy adults (20 athletes, 21 non-athletes) completed a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test to determine VO₂max and self-report measures, including the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA). On a second study day, participants underwent pressure pain testing and a HBDT before and after HIIT. Training status was operationalized both categorically (athletes vs. non-athletes) and continuously (VO₂max). Results: Athletes showed greater EIH than non-athletes, reflected in a significant reduction in pain following HIIT in athletes only and a larger pain change score compared with non-athletes. Higher VO₂max was likewise associated with greater pain reduction. Baseline cardiac interoceptive accuracy was positively associated with VO₂max, and interoceptive accuracy decreased significantly from pre- to post-exercise in both groups, with a more pronounced decline in athletes. MAIA scores showed no significant associations. VO₂max also significantly moderated the relation between post-exercise changes in cardiac interoceptive accuracy and pain reduction, suggesting that the link between interoceptive change and EIH differed as a function of aerobic fitness. Discussion: From an adaptation-based, hormesis-informed perspective, the findings are compatible with a distinction between acute cost and longer-term adaptation: intense exercise may transiently reduce cardiac interoceptive accuracy, while repeated exposure may be associated with better baseline interoceptive accuracy and more effective post-exercise pain modulation.
SN - 1664-1078
ER -