ReviewHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland)2024
The Role of Physical Exercise in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Best Medicine-A Narrative Review.
Review in Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 3 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
46 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 58 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exercise and Pain in Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, and Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- The effectiveness of aerobic exercise on pain and disability in individuals with neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Experimental physiology · 2026Pooled it
- The effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation combined with physiotherapy in the management of chronic pain in adults: a systematic review.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2025Pooled it
- Validation and Reliability of the Slovenian Translation of the Adherence to Exercise for Musculoskeletal Pain Tool (ATEMPT).Zdravstveno varstvo · 2026Article
- Clinical significance of exercise-induced hypoalgesia in individuals with temporomandibular disorders and neck pain: A clinical trial protocol.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Is Exercise Enough? Evidence from Controlled Clinical Trials on Rehabilitation with and Without Adjunct Modalities for Musculoskeletal Disorders.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- AI-Generated Exercise Videos vs Traditional Leaflets: A Novel Approach to Home Exercise Education in Achilles Tendinitis and Plantar Fasciitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Foot & ankle orthopaedics · 2026Article
- Relationships between Musculoskeletal Disorders, Sleep Impairment, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness among Adolescents Aged 15-19 Years in Douala, Cameroon: A Cross-sectional Study.International journal of school health · 2026Article
- Skeletal Fiber Type in Muscle Pain and Dysfunction.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Mitigating occupational hazards: the impact of physical activity on surgeons' physical and mental health - a scoping review.BMC surgery · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of Physiotherapy Interventions on Executive Function in Patients with Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review.Neurology international · 2026Review
- "Learn and Move" Program for the Management of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in Primary Care: A Pilot Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Prevalence and associated risk factors of work related musculoskeletal disorders among Building construction workers in Shire Endaslassiae town, Northern Ethiopia.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Prevalence and Risk Factors of Pain Among Older People in Mexico: Evidence From MHAS 2018.Journal of aging research · 2026Article
- A health resort-based intervention reduces insomnia with minimal changes in quality of life in COVID-19 survivors and non-COVID-19 controls.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Pressure point: blood flow restriction exercise and the pain paradox in musculoskeletal injury and persistent pain populations-a narrative review.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Abnormal Resting-State Functional Connectivity Between the Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex and the Limbic System Contributes to Pain and Emotion Regulation Impairment in Fibromyalgia Patients.International journal of rheumatic diseases · 2026Article
- Sustaining physical activity following participation in a joint pain exercise and education rehabilitation programme; a qualitative longitudinal study.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Musculoskeletal Pain Syndromes: A Systematic Review.Muscles (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Physical activity among adolescents and young adults living with chronic pain and sickle cell disease: a qualitative examination.Journal of pediatric psychology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to provide a narrative review of the effects of physical exercise in the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Physical inactivity and sedentary behavior are associated with chronic musculoskeletal pain and can aggravate it. For the management of musculoskeletal pain, physical exercise is an effective, cheap, and safe therapeutic option, given that it does not produce the adverse effects of pharmacological treatments or invasive techniques. In addition to its analgesic capacity, physical exercise has an effect on other pain-related areas, such as sleep quality, activities of daily living, quality of life, physical function, and emotion. In general, even during periods of acute pain, maintaining a minimum level of physical activity can be beneficial. Programs that combine several of the various exercise modalities (aerobic, strengthening, flexibility, and balance), known as multicomponent exercise, can be more effective and better adapted to clinical conditions. For chronic pain, the greatest benefits typically occur with programs performed at light-to-moderate intensity and at a frequency of two to three times per week for at least 4 weeks. Exercise programs should be tailored to the specific needs of each patient based on clinical guidelines and World Health Organization recommendations. Given that adherence to physical exercise is a major problem, it is important to empower patients and facilitate lifestyle change. There is strong evidence of the analgesic effect of physical exercise in multiple pathologies, such as in osteoarthritis, chronic low back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia.
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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.