Acute pain impairs locomotor learning and retention in older adults.
Samuel R Jackson, Ryan T Pohlig, Darcy S Reisman et al.
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In 30 seconds
This randomized controlled trial examined whether acute pain affects locomotor learning and retention differently in younger and older healthy adults. Thirty participants in each age group learned an asymmetric walking pattern with distorted visual feedback, either with capsaicin-heat pain or pain-free. Pain was associated with lower learning in both age groups (6.6% ± 0.4 vs 8.1% ± 0.5) and lower 24-hour retention (2.6% ± 0.7 vs 5.9% ± 0.7). Retention deficits were not evident within the learning session, and older adults showed lower learning than younger adults.
Key findings
- Pain was associated with reduced learning: 6.6% ± 0.4 in the pain condition versus 8.1% ± 0.5 in control.
- At 24 hours, retention was lower with pain: 2.6% ± 0.7 versus 5.9% ± 0.7 in control.
- Pain-related retention deficits were absent within the session and emerged at the 24-hour test.
- Older adults showed reduced learning compared with younger adults.
Why it matters
Motor learning is used in rehabilitation, but this trial suggests that acute pain during practice may compromise later retention of a newly learned gait pattern. The effect was observed in both age groups, indicating that age did not eliminate the association. The delayed emergence of the retention deficit also highlights that immediate performance may not reflect how well a movement pattern is retained.
What to keep in mind
Participants were healthy adults learning a laboratory-induced gait asymmetry, so the findings may not directly generalize to patients or rehabilitation settings.