The effect of exercise on clinical pain: a systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis

Key Points

1. Many forms of exercise resulted in significant improvement in pain.

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BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Addressing pain, chronic pain in particular, has been a challenge for health systems and clinicians to address. Pain continues to be responsible for high levels of disability and healthcare costs, with pharmacological interventions offering variable relief for chronic pain. Pharmaceuticals are associated with significant risks, especially with long-term use. Despite being recommended by clinical guidelines, exercise is often underutilized as a treatment for pain.

This systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis aimed to synthesize high-quality evidence on a variety of pain conditions and exercise modalities to provide definitive support for using exercise as a foundation of pain management.

Pain continues to be responsible for high levels of disability and healthcare costs, with pharmacological interventions offering variable relief for chronic pain.

While improving general health may be beneficial, if the ultimate goal is pain reduction, there is now more evidence to support a less intense approach.

METHODS

• Studies investigating adults (>18 years old) and exercise, defined as “a type of physical activity consisting of planned, structured, and repetitive bodily movement done to improve or maintain a component of physical fitness” were included in this review, as well

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