Effect of Increased Pain Tolerance on Exercise Performance
- Registration Number
- NCT03934411
- Lead Sponsor
- University of Copenhagen
- Brief Summary
Clinical prescription and use of opioids is a clear problem in large parts of the world and has the recent years received an increasing publicity in sports. This is in particular due to the World Anti-Doping Agency monitoring list, which reveal that endurance athletes utilize the opioid Tramadol frequently with the aim to enhance performance according to anecdotal evidence.
Studies investigating the effect of tramadol on exercise performance in healthy humans is limited to one study in moderate trained subjects. However, this effect may be different in highly trained subjects due to the effects of chronic exercise. Furthermore, ingestion of tramadol may impact motor-cognitive performance and it remains unknown whether tramadol can be detected in highly trained subjects following exercise.
In the present study the investigators apply a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled counterbalanced cross-over design to investigate whether tramadol treatment improves a preloaded cycling time trial performance, whether it affects motor-cognitive performance and whether it is detectable following exercise.
- Detailed Description
Not available
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- Male
- Target Recruitment
- 16
- Maximal oxygen uptake < 55 ml O2/min/kg
- Plasma creatinine concentration between 60-105 umol/L
- Plasma alanine aminotransferase between 10-70 U/L
- Familiarized with endurance training for at least a few years
- Donated blood within the last 3 months
- Exposed to an altitude greater than 1000 m above sea level within the last two months
- Smoking
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- CROSSOVER
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Tramadol treatment Tramadol - Placebo treatment Placebo -
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Power output 30 minutes Mean power output during a 15-km time trial
Motor-cognitive performance 1 hour The motor-cognitive performance evaluated by mathematical calculations combined with the ability to pinch a certain force with the thumb and index finger
Detection rate 1 day The detection rate of tramadol following the exercise intervention measured before, immediately after as well as 6 and 24h after treatment
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method pH 90 min The response of blood pH to exercise performance
Lactate 90 min The response of blood lactate to exercise performance
Bicarbonate 90 min The response of blood bicarbonate to exercise performance
Glucose 90 min The response of blood glucose to exercise performance
Potassium 90 min The response of blood potassium to exercise performance
Sodium 90 min The response of blood sodium to exercise performance
Oxygen uptake 90 min The response of systemic oxygen uptake during exercise performance
Pulmonary ventilation 90 min The response of pulmonary ventilation during exercise performance.
Respiratory exchange ratio 90 min The response of respiratory exchange ratio during exercise performance, calculated as the ratio between system oxygen uptake and systemic carbon monoxide production. The unit of measure is arbitrary.
Rate of Perceived Exertion 90 min Measurement of the rate of perceived exertion by questionnaire during exercise performance using "The borg scale of perceived exertion", which range from 6 (minimum value) to 20 (maximum value). Higher values represent a higher perceived exertion.
Leg Pain 90 min Measurement of the leg pain by questionnaire during exercise performance using the "10-point pain scale", which range from 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum). Higher values represent a higher pain.
Heart rate 90 min The response of heart rate to exercise performance
Power output during preload 60 min Mean power output during a 60-min cycling exercise
Power output during time trial 30 min The power output measured for each km of the time trial
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports
🇩🇰Copenhagen, Denmark