PAIN

From the Latin poena, for penalty, pain refers to suffering in its generic sense. While physical pain is cited most commonly, artists may suffer for their art, lovers may suffer for their loved ones, and prisoners may suffer for their deeds or, perhaps, their conscience. In sport and exercise, pain most frequently refers to the physical feelings experienced because of INJURY or the sensation of crossing certain thresholds of endurance, that is, the pain barrier. FANS sometimes talk of the painful experience of witnessing their teams lose, though this metaphorical use is in jest (mostly). Crossing the pain barrier relates to pain tolerance; and training for

endurance events particularly is geared to instilling in an athlete the ABILITY to tolerate pain for long periods. The pain in question is not chronic, of course; but it is a dispersed discomfort that distance runners especially have to assimilate (chronic pain is long-lasting and intractable). Tolerance to pain may have a biological component, but its variability and susceptibility to change indicate that its also has a significant psychological component. In training, athletes are implored to ‘‘bite the bullet’’ or similar when approaching the pain threshold. Bodybuilders famously remind others of the ‘‘no pain, no gain’’ principle. The Gracie dynasty of jiu-jitsu fighters prepared its members for contests by a type of pain inoculation, inducing pain in training so as to safeguard against it during COMPETITION. In his review article on training processes leading to elite athletic

performance, David Smith includes ‘‘the aptitude to tolerate pain and sustain effort’’ as part of the ‘‘solid psychological platform’’ that an athlete needs to build, suggesting that the resistance is acquired. Mark Anshel examines the manner in which the construction is

done: ‘‘Elite athletes tend to use one of two mental techniques in coping with physical discomfort, association and dissociation.’’ The GOAL of the first is to remain ‘‘in touch with one’s body’’ and maintain the necessary MOTIVATION to meet challenges. Weight lifters ‘‘associate with’’ their muscles as they lift; runners concentrate on planting their feet with each stride. This strategy can backfire if the athlete’s CONCENTRATION wavers and he or she begins focusing on the area of pain rather than the bodily functions that enhance performance. Dissociation entails externalizing projecting feelings and sensations outward to surrounding events rather than inward to internal experiences. Both are examples of pain endurance. John Draeger et al. suggest that pain can take on a compulsive

character. In their study of exercise DEPENDENCE, they note how some

individuals experience physical pain as a habitual part of their compulsion yet feel obliged to endure it to continue exercising.