AUTHOR=Deere Rachel , Chowdhury Enhad , Tabor Abby , Thompson Dylan , Bilzon James L. J. 

TITLE=The effects of upper- vs. lower-body aerobic exercise on perceived pain in individuals with chronic knee pain: a randomised crossover trial

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pain Research

VOLUME=Volume 4 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pain-research/articles/10.3389/fpain.2023.1277482

DOI=10.3389/fpain.2023.1277482

ISSN=2673-561X

ABSTRACT=Background & Objectives: Some patients with chronic knee pain experience an increase in knee pain following a single bout of exercise involving their knee joint, which can negatively affect exercise adherence and thus result in reduced overall health and lack of disease management. We wanted to determine whether a single bout of Upper Body (UB) aerobic arm ergometry exercise was effective in reducing the experience of pain in those with chronic knee pain, in comparison to Lower Body (LB) aerobic leg ergometry exercise.Methods: 19 individuals (Females=11, Males=8; age = 63 ± 8 yrs.; Body Mass Index = 24 ± 3 kg/m 2 ) who suffered with chronic knee pain for ≥3 months took part in this study. Arm-ergometry and cycleergometry exercise were performed for 30-minutes at a moderate intensity, separated by 7-days. Pain intensity was assessed by means of a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pre-and post-exercise and for 7days post-exercise. Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT) and Mechanical Detection Threshold (MDT) were measured pre-and post-exercise at both local and distal anatomical sites. Data are presented as mean±SD.Results: VAS pain was significantly reduced (P=0.035) at 1-day post exercise following the UB exercise trial (-1.4 ± 0.8) when compared with the LB exercise trial (+0.1 ± 2.1). Both UB and LB exercise were effective in reducing local and distal PPT. MDT responses were heterogeneous and there were no differences between the UB and LB exercise conditions.An acute bout of upper-body aerobic arm ergometry exercise evoked a significant decrease in affected knee joint pain in individuals with chronic knee pain, when compared with lower body aerobic exercise, up to 24 hrs/1 Day post exercise. While the exact mechanisms remain unclear, upper body exercise may offer a viable, novel therapeutic treatment for patients with chronic knee pain.