Coffee Tied to Pain Relief
In a study conducted by Dr. Robert W. Motl, director of the Exercise Neuroscience Lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign findings show that caffeine reduced the pain experienced during moderate-intensity workout in some women. The study focused on the effects caffeine had on leg muscle pain of women while cycling. During the study there was a one day pre-test evaluation and three days of experiment participation, which were each seperated by one to two weeks.
Prior to the start of the study, the women, all college students aged 19-20, had no caffeine for one week and no alcohol for 24 hours. Also, they ate nothing and did no exercise for a period of 12 hours. Each woman was given either a placebo or a capsule that was the caffeine equivalent of either 2 1/2 or 5 8 ounce cups of coffee. One hour later the women exercised vigurously for 30 minutes. Following the women rated their leg muscle pain on an intensity scale from 1 to 10, 10 being almost unbearable.
Researchers found that both amounts of caffeine resulted in a decreased leg pain rating than did the placebo. Findings also indicated that caffeine consumption prior to beginning the study had no bearing on pain intensity.
More information on this study can be found in the March 2006 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine ÄMotl RW, O’connor PJ, Tubandt L, Puetz T, Ely MR. Effect of caffeine on leg muscle pain during cycling exercise among females. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Mar;38(3):598-604Å.
