Reyes del Paso, Gustavo A.Muñoz, CristinaMontoro, Casandra I.2025-01-202025-01-202015Reyes Del Paso, G.A., Muñoz, C. & Montoro, C.I. (2015). Breath-holding during exhalation as a simple manipulation to reduce pain perception. Pain Medicine, 16, 1835-1841.1526-4637https://doi.org/10.1111/pme.12764https://hdl.handle.net/10953/4207Objective: Baroreceptor stimulation yields antinociceptive effects. In this study, baroreceptors were stimulated by a respiratory maneuver, with the effect of this manipulation on pain perception subsequently measured. Methods: Thirty-eight healthy participants were instructed to inhale slowly (control condition) and to hold the air in lungs after a deep inhalation (experimental condition). It was expected that breath-holding would increases blood pressure (BP) and thus stimulate the baroreceptors, which in turn would reduce pain perception. Pain was induced by pressure algometry on the nail of the left-index finger, at three different pressure intensities, and quantified by visual analogue scales. Heart rate (HR) and BP were continuously recorded. Results: Pain perception was lower when pain pressure was administered during the breath-holding phase versus the slow inhalation phase, regardless of the pressure intensity. During breath-holding, a rapid increase in BP and decrease in HR were observed, demonstrating activation of the baroreceptor reflex. Conclusion: Pain perception is reduced when painful stimulation is applied during breath-holding immediately following a deep inhalation. These results suggest that a simple and easy-to-perform respiratory maneuver could be used to reduce acute pain perception.engAtribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 3.0 Españahttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/RespirationPainBaroreceptor reflexBlood PressureHeart Rateinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess