Physical Activity Shows Limited Benefit for Chronic Postsurgical Pain

Summary: If you just had surgery and still have pain, you might think hitting the gym or doing physical therapy will definitely fix it. But a new review of medical studies shows that physical activity might not be the magic cure for chronic pain after surgery.

Researchers looked at 13 different studies involving over 1,000 patients who had surgeries on their spine, knees, hips, or breasts. They found that the evidence supporting exercise for long-term pain relief is actually very weak and mixed. After a year, most patients who did special exercise programs didn't feel much better than those who didn't. In fact, in a few cases, the people who didn't do the extra exercises felt better! Doctors say we need much better studies to figure out exactly what kind of movement actually helps.

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