Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42416555›Full record

ArticlePain reports2026

The effect of exercise on clinical pain: a systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis.

Ben Singh, Aaron Miatke, Dot Dumuid, Rachel Curtis, Kimberley Szeto, Kylie Dankiw, Emily Eglitis, Jasmine Petersen, Mason Zhou, Catherine Simpson and 4 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Pain reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Ben SinghAlliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7227-2406
Aaron MiatkeAlliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.
Dot DumuidAlliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.
Rachel CurtisAlliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.
Kimberley SzetoAlliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.
Kylie DankiwAlliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.
Emily EglitisAlliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.
Jasmine PetersenAlliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.
Mason ZhouAlliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.
Catherine SimpsonAlliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.
Lisa MatriccianiAlliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.
Felicity BraithwaiteIIMPACT, Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.
Tasha StantonIIMPACT, Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.
Carol MaherAlliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Exercise is recommended for managing pain, yet the consistency, magnitude, and certainty of effects across different pain conditions and exercises remain unclear. Objectives: This umbrella review aimed to synthesize the best available evidence on the analgesic effects of exercise by examining systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: Eleven databases were systematically searched from inception to August 2024. Eligible studies included systematic reviews with meta-analyses of RCTs comparing exercise to control conditions, with pain as a primary or secondary outcome. Reviews without meta-analyses, those not involving RCTs, or those primarily focused on experimentally induced or laboratory pain were excluded. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed methodological quality using AMSTAR-2. Standardized mean differences in pain were synthesized using random-effects meta-meta-analysis. Certainty of evidence was evaluated using GRADE, with subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Results: A total of 157 systematic reviews comprising 2,736 RCTs and 221,279 participants were included. Exercise significantly reduced pain compared with controls (pooled standardized mean differences = -0.59; 95% CI, -0.65 to -0.53; Conclusion: This umbrella review provides compelling evidence that exercise offers consistent and clinically meaningful pain relief across diverse populations and conditions. Findings support the integration of even low-intensity, short-term exercise into routine pain management strategies.

Indexed as

AnalgesiaChronic painExerciseMeta-analysisPainPhysical activityUmbrella review

Identifiers

PMID42416555
PMCPMC13340705

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.