People with persistent low back pain do not seem to benefit as much from the positive effects of exercise on pain.
Exercise has several beneficial aspects on health but also on pain. Hugo Massé-Alarie is a QPRN member and professor in the Department of Rehabilitation at Université Laval and a researcher at the Centre interdisciplinaire en recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale (CIRRIS). He and his team have just discovered that the beneficial effect of exercise on pain may be diminished in people with persistent low back pain. The team compared the effects of exercise on pain in 28 people with back pain for more than 5 years and 23 people without chronic pain. Professor Massé-Alarie emphasizes that physical activity is and remains the main intervention recommended for people with persistent back pain, but that his results will help to understand why physical activity does not provide its beneficial effects on pain in 40 to 45% of them.
