Comparative Exercise-Induced Hypoalgesia in Upper and Lower Limbs: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Healthy Individuals

PPT is tested on the muscle belly of the quadriceps on the dominant side, 10 centimeters cranial to the superior pole of the patella, and on the muscle belly of the epicondyle muscles on the dominant side, 5 centimeters caudal to the epicondyle. The region to be pressed is marked with a pen. The patient is instructed to report the first appearance of the sensation of "discomfort". An ascending ramp of 0.5 kg/cm/s is applied, at the rhythm of a metronome. The measurement is started on the quadriceps and alternated with the epicondyle until 3 measurements of each region are obtained. Each measurement in the same region is obtained after 30 seconds of rest. This protocol has demonstrated high inter-observer reliability measuring healthy subjects (ICC = 0.91).

7-item questionnaire on the level of physical activity at different intensities (high, moderate, and low) and hours sitting. A higher score means higher weekly physical activity.

10-item questionnaire that allows for the evaluation of the participant's current level of fatigue. A higher score means higher fatigue.

Heart rate will be measured during the procedure by a Polar H10 sensor and a Polar Ignate WR 30M watch.

RPE Borg CR-10 is used to measure how hard your body works during physical activity. It runs from 0 - 10, using numbers to rate how much effort an activity takes.

7-item questionnaire that assesses an individual's readiness to engage in physical activity based on whether any known contraindications have been ruled out by the participant. If all the questions are negative, the participant can safely engage in a physical activity.