Physical activity, pain and acute exercise induced hypoalgesia in patients with chronic low back pain

• Autor(a) principal: Costa, Fabíola Guiomar da
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10773/34841
• topic: Physical activity; Chronic low back pain; Exercise induced hypoalgesia; Exercise intensity

Background and objective: Evidence suggest that exercise promotes pain reduction in individuals with chronic low back pain, although this hypoalgesia may be limited, and several factors may influence the degree of hypoalgesia, including exercise intensity and previous physical activity. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the association between self-reported physical activity and i) pain intensity and pain sensitivity ii) acute exercise induced hypoalgesia. A secondary objective is to assess whether the potential association between self-reported physical activity and exercise induced hypoalgesia varies with exercise intensity. Methods: This study is a randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomized into 3 groups: group I-control group, group II-moderate intensity continuous aerobic exercise and group III-high intensity interval aerobic exercise. All participants were assessed before (sociodemographic and anthropometric data, location, frequency, duration and intensity of chronic low back pain, pain phenotype, disability, kinesiophobia, physical activity and pressure pain threshold) and after exercise/rest (pain intensity and pressure pain threshold). Physical activity (assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire) and mechanical pressure pain threshold at initial assessment, and the post intervention/rest change in these variables were the independent variables in the regression models. Results: A total of 83 participants (26 in group I, 27 in group II and 30 in group III) participated in the study. At baseline the international questionnaire of physical activity demonstrated association with the total lumbar PPT (adjusted r:0.046; p=0.029), but not with the intensity of the pain nor with the PPT of the dominant upper limb. in the post intervention, no associations were demonstrated between the physical activity and the intensity of the pain nor with the changes of the PPT's. Conclusion: The results obtained in this study suggest that there was no association between self-reported physical activity and pain intensity, pain sensitivity and exercise-induced hypoalgesia in individuals with chronic low back pain.