Does exercise increase or decrease pain? Central mechanisms underlying these two phenomena

Lucas V. Lima; Thiago S. S. Abner; Kathleen A. Sluka

doi:10.1113/jp273355

journal article May 26, 2017

Does exercise increase or decrease pain? Central mechanisms underlying these two phenomena

Lucas V. Lima

Thiago S. S. Abner

Kathleen A. Sluka

The Journal of Physiology Vol. 595 No. 13 pp. 4141-4150 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1113/jp273355

Abstract

AbstractExercise is an integral part of the rehabilitation of patients suffering a variety of chronic musculoskeletal conditions, such as fibromyalgia, chronic low back pain and myofascial pain. Regular physical activity is recommended for treatment of chronic pain and its effectiveness has been established in clinical trials for people with a variety of pain conditions. However, exercise can also increase pain making participation in rehabilitation challenging for the person with pain. Animal models of exercise‐induced pain have been developed and point to central mechanisms underlying this phenomena, such as increased activation of NMDA receptors in pain‐modulating areas. Meanwhile, a variety of basic science studies testing different exercise protocols, show exercise‐induced analgesia involves activation of central inhibitory pathways. Opioid, serotonin and NMDA mechanisms acting in rostral ventromedial medulla promote analgesia associated with exercise. This review explores and discusses current evidence on central mechanisms underlying exercised‐induced pain and analgesia.
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Citations

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References

Details

Published: May 26, 2017
Vol/Issue: 595(13)
Pages: 4141-4150
License: View

Authors

L

Lucas V. Lima

Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, Pain Research Program University of Iowa Iowa City IA 52242 USA

T

Thiago S. S. Abner

Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, Pain Research Program University of Iowa Iowa City IA 52242 USA

K

Kathleen A. Sluka

Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, Pain Research Program University of Iowa Iowa City IA 52242 USA

Funding

National Institutes of Health Award: R01 AR061371

Cite This Article

Lucas V. Lima, Thiago S. S. Abner, Kathleen A. Sluka (2017). Does exercise increase or decrease pain? Central mechanisms underlying these two phenomena. The Journal of Physiology, 595(13), 4141-4150. https://doi.org/10.1113/jp273355

Does exercise increase or decrease pain? Central mechanisms underlying these two phenomena

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