Pressure pain threshold in combat and team sports athletes: An investigation of differences across anatomical regions

The aim of this study was to examine the distribution of pressure pain threshold (PPT) across different anatomical regions in athletes engaged in combat and team sports and to determine whether these profiles differ according to sport type. A total of 72 athletes voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional study, including 36 combat sport athletes (taekwondo, boxing, and wrestling) and 36 team sport athletes (football, volleyball, basketball). Each sport branch included an equal number of participants (n = 12), consisting of 6 female and 6 male athletes. PPT was measured using a pressure algometer at six anatomical regions: the deltoid muscle, quadriceps muscle, hypothenar eminence, ulna, tibia, and thumb. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed a significant overall effect of sport type on PPT values (Pillai’s Trace = .283, F(6, 65) = 4.27, p = .001). Combat sport athletes demonstrated significantly higher PPT values than team sport athletes across all anatomical regions (p < .05). The largest effects were observed in the ulna (η² = .25) and hypothenar regions (η² = .22), while the smallest effect was found in the tibia (η² = .12). In addition, PPT values varied across anatomical regions, with higher values in the ulna and quadriceps and lower values in the deltoid muscle. These findings indicate that PPT differs according to sport type and is not uniformly distributed across the body. The results suggest that sport-specific physical and psychological adaptations play an important role in pain perception, and that evaluating PPT as a region-specific construct may provide practical implications for athlete monitoring and training planning.