Overview
- Adelaide University researchers combined 157 systematic reviews and 2,736 randomized trials covering 221,279 participants to assess exercise for acute and chronic pain.
- Across conditions the analysis measured an average pain drop of about 1.1 points on a 0–10 scale and compared that effect to separate chronic pain trials of common medications.
- The study found a dose pattern in which shorter, lower‑intensity programs — including regimens under two hours per week — often produced larger pain reductions than longer or harder programs.
- Benefits were seen for aerobic and resistance training as well as gentler movement such as yoga, Pilates and tai chi, with proposed mechanisms including endorphin and serotonin release, reduced inflammation, and changes in brain pain processing.
- Authors warn exercise is underused and urge clinicians and health systems to create specific prescription protocols, train staff, and fund scalable programs so patients can routinely receive exercise as part of multimodal pain care.