SynthesisBMC musculoskeletal disorders2022
Does aerobic exercise effect pain sensitisation in individuals with musculoskeletal pain? A systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 57 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of exercise on pain, fatigue, and quality of life in people with fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Understanding Exercise-Induced Hypoalgesia: An Umbrella Review of Scientific Evidence and Qualitative Content Analysis.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Pooled it
- Adherence to ACSM exercise guidelines and its influence on Fibromyalgia treatment outcomes: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Pooled it
- Effect of Type and Dose of Exercise on Neuropathic Pain After Experimental Sciatic Nerve Injury: A Preclinical Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.The journal of pain · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy of combined strategies of physical activity, diet and sleep disorders as treatment in patients with chronic shoulder pain. A systematic review.Frontiers in physiology · 2023Pooled it
- Optimal dose and type of exercise to reduce pain, anxiety and increase quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia. A systematic review with meta-analysis.Frontiers in physiology · 2023Pooled it
- The effect of regular exercise on general and mental fatigue and motivation during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Trial
- Effects of 4-Week Treadmill Running at Different Intensities on Exercise-Induced Hypoalgesia and Endogenous Pain Modulation in Healthy Individuals.Pain research & management · 2026Trial
- Effects of reformer pilates on pain, psychological factors, and sleep in chronic musculoskeletal pain: a randomized controlled trial.BMC psychology · 2025Trial
- Effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation in chronic pain and neurogenic claudication related to lumbar spinal stenosis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2024Trial
- Article
- The Impact of a Single Session of Sprint Interval Training (SIT) on Pain Pressure Threshold (PPT) in Healthy Adults.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Physical Activity, Metabolic Dysfunction, and the Kynurenine Pathway in Endometriosis and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Literature Review.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Fibromyalgia Among Schoolteachers in The Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia.Open access rheumatology : research and reviews · 2026Article
- A randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled, 2×2 factorial trial of aerobic vs. non-aerobic exercise and motor cortex transcranial direct current stimulation in fibromyalgia: effects on clinical outcomes and descending pain modulation.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2026Article
- Research trends on exercise and cancer pain relationships: a bibliometric analysis over the past three decades.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Review
- Sex Differences in Strength, Self-Estimation, and Pain Perception Based on Physical Activity After Rotator Cuff Repair.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Evaluating the Effects of Exercise on Inflammation Markers in Musculoskeletal Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Prevalence of chronic pelvic pain and associated factors among indigenous women of reproductive age in Ecuador.BMC women's health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPain sensitisation plays a major role in musculoskeletal pain. However, effective treatments are limited, and although there is growing evidence that exercise may improve pain sensitisation, the amount and type of exercise remains unclear. This systematic review examines the evidence for an effect of aerobic exercise on pain sensitisation in musculoskeletal conditions.
methodsSystematic searches of six electronic databases were conducted. Studies were included if they examined the relationship between aerobic physical activity and pain sensitisation in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain, but excluding specific patient subgroups such as fibromyalgia. Risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane methods and a qualitative analysis was conducted.
resultsEleven studies (seven repeated measures studies and four clinical trials) of 590 participants were included. Eight studies had low to moderate risk of bias. All 11 studies found that aerobic exercise increased pressure pain thresholds or decreased pain ratings in those with musculoskeletal pain [median (minimum, maximum) improvement in pain sensitisation: 10.6% (2.2%, 24.1%)]. In these studies, the aerobic exercise involved walking or cycling, performed at a submaximal intensity but with incremental increases, for a 4-60 min duration. Improvement in pain sensitisation occurred after one session in the observational studies and after 2-12 weeks in the clinical trials.
conclusionsThese findings provide evidence that aerobic exercise reduces pain sensitisation in individuals with musculoskeletal pain. Further work is needed to determine whether this translates to improved patient outcomes, including reduced disability and greater quality of life.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.