Jan Willem Elte, The Netherlands Exercising for up to 30 minutes most days may help to relieve pain in patients with cancer or other diseases. This has been shown in a recent study in more than 60,000 people, including 10.651 with a history of cancer. Study participants who had been diagnosed with cancer and reported moderate to vigorous physical activity for more than 150 minutes per week had 16 % less pain than those with no or less activity. Exercise was particularly helpful for those with moderate to severe pain. The more exercise, the less pain was felt, both for people with and without cancer. There was no relationship between physical activity and analgesic use in people with a history of cancer. In another Norwegian study the prevalence of chronic pain was 10 – 38 % lower among people who exercised. There are more randomized trials suggesting that exercise could be an effective pain management tool for conditions such as low-back pain, osteoarthritis, myofascial pain and fibromyalgia. Cancer-related pain may stem from multiple potential causes, such as the tumor itself (nerve compression), but also as a result of treatment, including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or complications from long-term medications. Some 40 […]