Painnewsnetwork iconPainnewsnetworkSep 28, 2026 ~1 min source read

Less Is More: It Doesn’t Take Much Exercise to Reduce Pain

In a systematic review of 157 clinical trials, a research team at Adelaide University found that less than two hours of exercise a week could reduce pain by about 1.1 points on the zero-to-ten pain scale. In fact, exercise of low intensity and short duration appears to be more beneficial than longer, intense workouts.

Less Is More: It Doesn’t Take Much Exercise to Reduce Pain

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In a systematic review of 157 clinical trials, a research team at Adelaide University found that less than two hours of exercise a week could reduce pain by about 1.1 points on the zero-to-ten pain scale.

In fact, exercise of low intensity and short duration appears to be more beneficial than longer, intense workouts.

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In a systematic review of 157 clinical trials, a research team at Adelaide University found that less than two hours of exercise a week could reduce pain by about 1.1 points on the zero-to-ten pain scale. In fact, exercise of low intensity and short duration appears to be more beneficial than longer, intense workouts. Axial spondylarthritis Cancer Musculoskeletal conditions Fibromyalgia Hip replacement Low back pain Migraine and headache Neck pa...

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  • In fact, shorter-duration and lower-intensity programs showed greater reductions in pain, suggesting people may not need to exercise harder or for longer to experience meaningful benefits." The study...

Details worth keeping

"Importantly, we found that more exercise wasn't necessarily better.

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