Higher estimated cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with lower odds of chronic pain (women: OR 0.56, CI 0.49-0.64; men: OR 0.64, CI 0.53-0.78) and favorable changes in pain severity.
Cohort (n=18,837)
Does higher estimated cardiorespiratory fitness reduce the odds of chronic pain and prevent pain worsening in the general adult population?
Higher estimated cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with lower prevalence of chronic pain and protects against pain worsening over an 11-year period in the general population.
Effect estimate: OR 0.56 (women), OR 0.64 (men) (95% CI 0.49-0.64 (women), 0.53-0.78 (men))
Introduction: Reduced cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with chronic pain, but longitudinal population-based evidence is limited. Whether CRF can prevent pain worsening or promote improvement is unclear. Objective: This study investigated (1) the cross-sectional association between estimated CRF (eCRF) and chronic pain, (2) the longitudinal association between eCRF and changes in pain severity over 11 years, and (3) whether changes in eCRF are associated with changes in pain severity. Method: Data were collected from the Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) in Norway. Cross-sectional analyses included 18,837 adults from HUNT3 (2006-08), and longitudinal analyses followed participants to HUNT4 (2017-19), stratified by baseline pain status: no or mild (n = 11,517) or moderate/severe chronic pain (n = 5312). Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated using a validated nonexercise algorithm and categorized into sex- and age-specific quintiles. Logistic regression estimated odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Results: Cross-sectionally, higher eCRF was associated with lower odds of chronic pain, with the largest difference between the highest and the lowest quintiles (women: OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.49-0.64; men: OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.53-0.78). Longitudinally, among participants with no or mild pain, both high baseline eCRF and maintained high eCRF were associated with lower odds of pain worsening. Among those with chronic pain, maintaining or increasing eCRF was associated with greater odds of pain reduction, whereas high baseline eCRF showed a nonsignificant trend in the same direction. Conclusion: Higher eCRF was associated with lower odds of chronic pain and with more favorable changes in pain severity in the general population.
Havstad et al. (Tue,) conducted a cohort in Chronic pain (n=18,837). Estimated cardiorespiratory fitness (eCRF) vs. Lowest quintile of eCRF was evaluated on Chronic pain and changes in pain severity (OR 0.56 (women), OR 0.64 (men), 95% CI 0.49-0.64 (women), 0.53-0.78 (men)). Higher estimated cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with lower odds of chronic pain (women: OR 0.56, CI 0.49-0.64; men: OR 0.64, CI 0.53-0.78) and favorable changes in pain severity.