The Effect of Fatigue on the Pain Threshold in the Soles of the Feet of Mountaineers Before and After a Mountaineering Session

Abstract

Background: Fatigue is one of the risk factors for injuy in sports. As a consequence of this phenomenon, the pain threshold is reduced in the soles of the feet, leading to the improper distribution and loading of forces, which can alter the mountaineers’ walking patterns and the skeletal structure of their feet, ultimately resulting in soft tissue damage, pain, falls, and even death. Objectives: The present study aims to investigate the effect of fatigue on the pain threshold of the soles of the feet. Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 35 mountaineers (age range = 20 - 35 years) were selected by non-random sampling method. In this research, a test was taken before and after an eight-kilometer mountaineering session at a moderate pace, and an algometer device was used to evaluate foot pain and pain threshold. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used for statistical analysis of the normality of the data distribution, and the paired sample t-test was used for data evaluation and comparison. All statistical operations were carried out using SPSS software version 24, and the significance level of the tests was considered 0.05. Results: According to the results, fatigue reduces the pain threshold in the soles of the feet, with the greatest effect being observed in the central region of the heel and the second toe. Conclusions: The present research showed that fatigue could increase risk factors in mountaineers, hinder optimal performance, reduce the pain threshold in the soles of the feet, and increase pain sensitivity, which can affect the way of mountaineering and the pressure distribution in the soles, leading to increased risk of injuries, strains, sprains, and falls of mountaineers.