Temperament as a modulating factor of pain sensitivity in combat sport athletes

The aim of this study was to characterise the temperament of combat athletes in comparison to that of individuals who do not practise any sports with regard to pain sensitivity measured with the cold pressor test (CPT) and pressure pain threshold (PPT). The study involved 284 healthy men, aged 18 to 43 years. The first group consisted of 198 combat athletes, including boxing (n = 19), mixed martial arts (MMA) (n = 97) and karate (n = 82), aged from 18 to 43 years. The control group consisted of 86 subjects between the ages of 18 and 26 years, academic students not practising any sport professionally. Pain threshold and pain tolerance were evaluated using the CPT and a pressure algometer. Temperament was measured with the Formal Characteristics of Behaviour - Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI). The contact athletes showed much higher tolerance to pain than the control group using both tools: CPT (p = 0.007) and PPT (p < 0.001). In athletes, but not in controls, relationships were noted between BMI and endurance (r = 0.20; p = 0.004), BMI and activity (r = − 0.283; p < 0.001), BMI and pain threshold (r = 0.15; p < 0.05), and BMI and pain tolerance (r = 0.30; p < 0.001), when measured by the algometer - this necessitating adjustment for further analysis. The athletes and students in the study groups differed significantly with regard to intensity of four temperamental traits, but after BMI adjustments only group differences in Preservation, Sensory sensitivity and Emotional reactivity remained significant'. These differences indicate individual differences in perception and reaction to external stimuli. Significantly higher pain tolerance (CPT and PPT) in the athletes studied was related to specific psychological features. The obtained results of temperamental characteristics may indicate higher resilience of the nervous system in combat athletes in comparison to non-athletes.