Articles

Associations between recreational exercise and chronic pain in the general population: Evidence from the HUNT 3 study

Landmark, Tormod^a,b,*; Romundstad, Pål^c; Borchgrevink, Petter C.^b,d; Kaasa, Stein^a,e; Dale, Ola^d,f

^aDepartment of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

^bNational Competence Centre for Complex Symptom Disorders, St Olavs University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway

^cDepartment of Public Health and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

^dDepartment of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

^eDepartment of Oncology, St Olavs University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway

^fDepartment of Anaesthesia and Emergency Medicine, St Olavs University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway

^*Corresponding author. Address: St Olav's University Hospital, 3 Etg Bevegelsessenteret, Olav Kyrres Gt 13, Trondheim N-7006, Norway. Tel.: +47 72826332; fax: +47 72826028.

E-mail address:[email protected]

Submitted March 31, 2010; revised March 28, 2011; accepted April 19, 2011.

Pain 152(10):p 2241-2247, October 2011. | DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2011.04.029

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Abstract

Summary

Recreational exercise is associated with a lower prevalence of chronic pain in the general population.

The evidence for an association between leisure-time physical activity and prevalence of pain is insufficient. This study investigated associations between frequency, duration, and intensity of recreational exercise and chronic pain in a cross-sectional survey of the adult population of a Norwegian county (the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study; HUNT 3). Of the 94,194 invited to participate, complete data were obtained from 46,533 participants. Separate analyses were performed for the working-age population (20–64 years) and the older population (65 years or more). When defined as pain lasting longer than 6 months, and of at least moderate intensity during the past month, the overall prevalence of chronic pain was 29%. We found that increased frequency, duration, and intensity of exercise were associated with less chronic pain in analyses adjusted for age, education, and smoking. For those aged 20–64 years, the prevalence of chronic pain was 10–12% lower for those exercising 1–3 times a week for at least 30 minutes duration or of moderate intensity, relative to those not exercising. Dependent on the load of exercise, the prevalence of chronic pain was 21–38% lower among older women who exercised, relative to those not exercising. Similar, but somewhat weaker, associations were seen for older men. This study shows consistent and linear associations between frequency, duration, and intensity of recreational exercise and chronic pain for the older population, and associations without an apparent linear shape for the working-age population.