SynthesisPloS one2019
Exercise-induced hypoalgesia: A meta-analysis of exercise dosing for the treatment of chronic pain.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 64 papers, 11 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.
Acute Effects of a High Intensity Training Protocol on Pain Processing and Inflammatory Parameters in Persons With Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain.
Is Patient Choice of Exercise Preference Important in Chronic Neck Pain? A Randomized Clinical Study
Does a Teletherapy-guided Exercise Programme Improve Pain Intensity, Disability, and Quality of Life in Nursing Students With Back and Neck Pain Compared to a Control Group?
Who cites it
64 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 151 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of physical activity-based interventions to prevent or reduce chronic post-surgical pain.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 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
- Aerobic Exercise Prescription for Pain Reduction in Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2025Pooled it
- The Impact of Exercise Prescription Variables on Intervention Outcomes in Musculoskeletal Pain: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2024Pooled it
- The content and effectiveness of physical activity for cancer-related fatigue among colorectal cancer survivors: Systematic review and meta-analysis.Nursing open · 2023Pooled 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
- Attempting to Separate Placebo Effects from Exercise in Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2022Pooled it
- Dose-Response Association of Tai Chi and Cognition among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Acupuncture for Chronic Pain-Related Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Pain research & management · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Baduanjin Exercise on Quality of Life and Psychological Health in Postoperative Patients With Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Integrative cancer therapiesPooled it
- Motivation to exercise in patients with chronic low back pain.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Trial
- Technical Feasibility of Supervision of Stretching Exercises by a Humanoid Robot Coach for Chronic Low Back Pain: The R-COOL Randomized Trial.BioMed research international · 2022Trial
- Effectiveness of Internet-Based Exercises Aimed at Treating Knee Osteoarthritis: The iBEAT-OA Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2021Trial
- The effect of exercise on clinical pain: a systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis.Pain reports · 2026Article
- High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation enhances exercise-induced hypoalgesia in patients with chronic low back pain.iScience · 2026Article
- Comparative Effectiveness of Isometric and Isotonic Exercises on Hyperkyphosis, Forward Head Posture, and Rounded Shoulders in Computer Users with Upper Crossed Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial.The archives of bone and joint surgery · 2026Article
- Physical activity phenotypes in endometriosis using unsupervised learning via functional mixture models.BMC women's health · 2025Article
- Are depression, anxiety, and fear-avoidance predictors of outcomes after digital care for chronic musculoskeletal pain?Pain reports · 2025Article
- Isolated Exercise Interventions for Acute Low Back Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveIncreasing evidence purports exercise as a first-line therapeutic for the treatment of nearly all forms of chronic pain. However, knowledge of efficacious dosing respective to treatment modality and pain condition is virtually absent in the literature. The purpose of this analysis was to calculate the extent to which exercise treatment shows dose-dependent effects similar to what is seen with pharmacological treatments.
methodsA recently published comprehensive review of exercise and physical activity for chronic pain in adults was identified in May 2017. This report reviewed different physical activity and exercise interventions and their effectiveness in reducing pain severity and found overall modest effects of exercise in the treatment of pain. We analyzed this existing data set, focusing specifically on the dose of exercise intervention in these studies. We re-analyzed data from 75 studies looking at benefits of time of exercising per week, frequency of exercise per week, duration of intervention (in weeks), and estimated intensity of exercise.
resultsAnalysis revealed a significant positive correlation with exercise duration and analgesic effect on neck pain. Multiple linear regression modeling of these data predicted that increasing the frequency of exercise sessions per week is most likely to have a positive effect on chronic pain patients. DISCUSSION: Modest effects were observed with one significant correlation between duration and pain effect for neck pain. Overall, these results provide insufficient evidence to conclude the presence of a strong dose effect of exercise in pain, but our modeling data provide tes predictions that can be used to design future studies to explicitly test the question of dose in specific patient populations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic 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 Socratic graph.