Exercise eases chronic pain in obesity
21 June 2011
Just a small amount of weekly physical exercise can reduce chronic (long-term) muscular pain associated with obesity, a study suggests.
Drawing on data from 30,000 adults in Norway, researchers estimated that people with obesity have a 20 per cent increased risk of chronic pain in both the low back and neck or shoulders.
The authors found that the hours of physical exercise undertaken every week were linearly and inversely associated with the risk of chronic pain at these body sites - the more hours of exercise, the smaller the risk of pain.
The study participants, aged 20 years or older, filled in questionnaires about physical exercise frequency and muscle and joint symptoms and had their body mass and height measurements recorded.
Exercising for between one and 2 hours per week compensated, to some extent, for the adverse effect of high body mass index (BMI) on risk of chronic pain, the researchers found.
"However, analyses of high-intensity versus low-intensity exercise showed no major differences in the estimated [effect]," they said.
They concluded that accumulating 1-2 hours of low- to moderate-intensity physical exercise over 7 days "should be manageable for most people" and would have an important public health benefit as well as impacting on the economy by reducing sick leave.
Last Reviewed: 22 June 2011
- 1. Nilsen TI, Holtermann A, Mork PJ. Physical exercise, body mass index, and risk of chronic pain in the low back and neck/shoulders: longitudinal data from the Nord-Trondelag Health Study. Am J Epidemiol 2011. [Epub ahead of print 1 Jun 2011]. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwr087. http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/06/01/aje.kwr087.long (accessed Jun 2011).
Sponsored links
Related Articles
Animation: Effects of obesityBack painExercise: easing into itMuscle aches and pains: treatmentsNeck pain: treatmentObesity: Q and AShoulder pain Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
