Unravelling the pain trajectory in chronic low back pain patients during a physical exercise training program
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51224/SRXIV.496Keywords:
chronic pain, exercise therapy, resistance training, high-intensity interval training, exercise-induced hypoalgesia, concurrent trainingAbstract
Physical exercise can transiently decrease pain intensity within a single session and improve physical capacities while reducing pain over a training program. However, pain trajectory throughout a concurrent physical training program remains unknown. This study aimed to model pain trajectory during a training program including both aerobic and resistance exercises, considering both acute (within-session) and chronic (across-program) effects of physical exercise.
Participants completed a 14-week training program (42 sessions; n = 28) or were assigned to a waiting list (n = 29). In the exercise group, low back pain intensity was measured before and after each training session. Pain intensity averaged over the last week was measured before and after the 14-week period in both groups. Linear mixed-effects modelling was performed to describe the pain trajectory.
Pain intensity averaged over the last week decreased only in the exercise group (exercise: 4.9 ± 0.3 vs 2.5 ± 0.3; control: 5.6 ± 0.3 vs 5.3 ± 0.3). Pain trajectory was characterized by a linear and a quadratic term (p’s < 0.001), suggesting pain reduction decelerated as the program progressed. Pain intensity decreased after each training session (p < 0.001) with this effect remaining constant throughout the program (non-significant interactions, p’s > 0.585).
Pain decreases more markedly during the initial weeks of the program. Acute exercise-induced hypoalgesia persisted throughout the program, suggesting patients may use physical exercise to manage pain flare-ups even after several weeks of training.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Maxime Bergevin, Anna Bendas, Florian Bobeuf, Erika Gentile, Arthur Wozvnowsku-Vu, Timothy H. Wideman, Nicolas Berryman, Louis Bherer, Mathieu Roy, Benjamin Pageaux (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
