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Physical Exercise for Human Health pp 233–253Cite as

Exercise and Chronic Pain

Part of the Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology book series (AEMB,volume 1228)

Abstract

In this chapter, we describe the impact and etiology of chronic pain, the associated changes in the nervous system, and the mechanisms by which exercise may be able to affect and reverse these changes. Evidence for efficacy of exercise in different conditions associated with chronic pain is presented, with focus on chronic low back pain, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and migraines. While the efficacy of exercise and level of evidence supporting it vary in different diseases, exercise has direct and indirect benefits for most patients suffering from chronic pain. Effective exercise regimens include education and cognitive restructuring to promote behavioral activation and reconceptualization of what pain means, with the goal of gradually reversing the vicious cycle of pain, inertia, sedentary behavior, and worsening disability. Long-term, consistent, individualized exercise-based treatment approaches are most likely to result in improvements in pain and function.

Keywords

  • Chronic pain
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Low back pain
  • Migraines
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Exercise
  • Kinesiophobia
  • Exercise-induced analgesia

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Anna Borisovskaya, Elizabeth Chmelik & Ashwin Karnik

  2. Veterans Administration Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    Anna Borisovskaya & Elizabeth Chmelik

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  1. Anna Borisovskaya
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  2. Elizabeth Chmelik
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  3. Ashwin Karnik
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Correspondence to Anna Borisovskaya .

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  1. Cardiac Regeneration and Ageing Lab Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences School of Life Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China

    Junjie Xiao

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Borisovskaya, A., Chmelik, E., Karnik, A. (2020). Exercise and Chronic Pain. In: Xiao, J. (eds) Physical Exercise for Human Health. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1228. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1792-1_16

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