Exercise-induced quadriceps pain during cycling in healthy individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental trials.

This meta-analysis summarizes experiments that have assessed quadriceps pain intensity (PI) during cycling in healthy individuals. Secondly, it tested the impact of eleven plausible moderators of that pain: data source, pain measure, participant sex and fitness, study purpose and comparison condition, analgesic intervention, and exercise task, duration, number of bouts, and intensity. Articles published before September 15, 2022 were found by searching PubMed, Web of Science, PsychInfo, SportDiscus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Inclusion criteria were (i) a randomized between-subjects design or a within-subjects crossover design, (ii) healthy participants without preexisting pain conditions, (iii) leg cycling on a stationary ergometer, and (iv) quadriceps PI measured during cycling. Study quality was assessed, Hedge's d effect sizes were computed, and a mixed effects model was used to generate a mean effect size (Δ). Moderators were chosen a priori to account for heterogeneity. A total of 95 effects were derived from 35 studies. A mixed effects model indicated the mean effect size (Δ) was 0.671 (95% CI = 0.442 to 0.899, z = 5.754, P < 0.001). Total heterogeneity was high in this model (τ2 = 0.942, I2 = 80.90%, H2 = 5.24). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]