Physical Rehabilitation for Patients with Chronic Pain (original) (raw)

2008, Raj's Practical Management of Pain

Exercise therapy is one key management strategy used in patients with pain to address impairments (problems with body function or structure, such as pain or weakness), activity limitations (diffi culties in activities such as walking, sitting, and standing), and participation restrictions (problems in everyday life situations such as working, playing sports, or socializing) . Exercise is a subcategory of physical activity that may be defi ned as "physical activity that is planned, structured, repetitive, and purposive in the sense that improvement or maintenance of one or more components of physical fi tness is the objective" . Multiple meta-analyses on the effects of exercise therapy on various painful conditions report that exercise reduces pain and increases aerobic capacity and physical function. e mechanisms behind these eff ects are not completely clear and are most likely due to multiple factors . Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have provided strong evidence for the effi cacy of therapeutic exercise for patients with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis of the knee, chronic low back pain, coronary heart disease, chronic heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fi brosis, and chronic and