🔎 Trials Near Me

Home › Pain › NCT07502742

Pain in Aging Former Athletes, Master's Athletes, and Nonathletes

RecruitingHealthy volunteers welcome

Pain in Athletes INtervention (PAIN): A Randomized Crossover Clinical Trial in Aging Former Athletes, Master's Athletes, and Nonathletes

Who can join

Ages 35 to 65 · All sexes · Healthy volunteers welcome

Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria (General):

* Age: 35 years through 65 years
* Current master's athlete, former competitive athletes, or non-athlete control (see details below)
* Ability to participate in exercise and exercise testing based on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q+)

Exclusion Criteria (General):

* Currently pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the study
* Currently taking heart rate lowering medications (e.g., betablockers) that would impact exercise testing
* Contraindications to ice such as Raynaud's, cryoglobulinemia, cold urticaria, and/or impaired circulation or sensation
* Fibromyalgia and/or chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
* Myocardial infarction or pulmonary embolism in the last 12 months, active cancer, a pacemaker, or any additional condition or disease that would preclude the individual from being able to perform the tests safely

Participants will be enrolled into one of the following three mutually exclusive groups according to the following criteria:

1. Former Competitive Athlete: Prior participation in competitive sports at the Tier 3 level or above as per McKay et al. (2022): i.e., "national-level representatives who are performing structured and/or periodized training and are developing proficiency in skills required to perform their sport at the highest level; this tier includes individuals participating in Provincial/State or Academy Programs" or higher participation in sport; Not currently participating in any recreational or competitive sports over the last 5 years (Tier 2 or above)
2. Master's Athlete: Currently (within the past year) participating in sports at the Tier 2 level or above (i.e., committed to sports-specific training at least 3 times per week with the intent to compete)(McKay et al., 2022)
3. Nonathlete Control: No prior participation in sport at the Tier 3 (Highly Trained/National) Level or above and not currently participating in any competitive sports (i.e., Tier 2 or above) (McKay et al., 2022) for at least 5 years

About the study

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine how male and female former athletes experience pain and respond to moderate-intensity exercise (strength versus aerobic) compared with both current master's athletes and nonathletes.

The main questions this study aims to address are:

1. How do former athletes, master's athletes, and nonathletes experience pain? 2. How do different types of moderate-intensity exercise (strength versus aerobic exercise) influence pain in former athletes, master's athletes, and nonathletes?

Participants will complete 3 different testing sessions:

1. Baseline testing including assessments of strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and pain; 2. Strength exercise: pain assessments will occur before and after moderate-intensity strength training exercise; 3. Aerobic exercise: pain assessments will occur before and after moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.

There will be a washout period of approximately one week or greater between each of the three different testing sessions. The order of conditions (strength versus aerobic exercise) will be randomized (crossover randomized trial design).

What is being tested

Sponsor: Marquette University · Participants: 90 · Started: Mar 2, 2026

Contact the study team

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07502742

Locations in the U.S.

WisconsinMarquette University, Milwaukee

Conditions

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.