Exercise and Chronic Pain

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.