TY - JOUR
T1 - Can exercise-based interventions reverse gray and white matter abnormalities in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain? A systematic review
AU - Cuyul-Vásquez, Iván
AU - Ponce-Fuentes, Felipe
AU - Salazar, Joaquín
AU - Fuentes, Jorge
AU - Araya-Quintanilla, Felipe
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 - IOS Press. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Background: Recent evidence has suggested that reversal of gray or white matter abnormalities could be a criterion of recovery in patients with chronic pain. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of exercise-based interventions in reversing gray and white matter abnormalities in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Methods: An electronic search was performed in the MEDLINE (Via PubMed), EMBASE, Web of Science, LILACS, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, PEDro, and CENTRAL databases. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) including patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, which assessed the change in gray and white matter abnormalities after exercise-based interventions were selected. The risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias II tool. Results: Four RCTs were included (n= 386). Three studies showed reversal of abnormalities with exercise-based interventions compared to control groups. The reversal was observed in the gray matter volume in the medial orbital prefrontal cortex and in the supplementary motor area of patients with osteoarthritis, in the hippocampus, insula, amygdala and thalamus in fibromyalgia patients. Furthermore, in patients with chronic spinal pain, reversal was observed in the gray matter thickness of the frontal middle caudal cortex and in the caudate, putamen and thalamus gray matter volume. Conclusions: There is insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of exercise-based interventions for reversing gray and white matter abnormalities in patients with chronic pain. Further studies are still needed in this field.
AB - Background: Recent evidence has suggested that reversal of gray or white matter abnormalities could be a criterion of recovery in patients with chronic pain. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of exercise-based interventions in reversing gray and white matter abnormalities in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Methods: An electronic search was performed in the MEDLINE (Via PubMed), EMBASE, Web of Science, LILACS, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, PEDro, and CENTRAL databases. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) including patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, which assessed the change in gray and white matter abnormalities after exercise-based interventions were selected. The risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias II tool. Results: Four RCTs were included (n= 386). Three studies showed reversal of abnormalities with exercise-based interventions compared to control groups. The reversal was observed in the gray matter volume in the medial orbital prefrontal cortex and in the supplementary motor area of patients with osteoarthritis, in the hippocampus, insula, amygdala and thalamus in fibromyalgia patients. Furthermore, in patients with chronic spinal pain, reversal was observed in the gray matter thickness of the frontal middle caudal cortex and in the caudate, putamen and thalamus gray matter volume. Conclusions: There is insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of exercise-based interventions for reversing gray and white matter abnormalities in patients with chronic pain. Further studies are still needed in this field.
KW - Chronic pain
KW - exercise
KW - exercise therapy
KW - musculoskeletal pain
KW - rehabilitation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85164231005&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3233/BMR-220349
DO - 10.3233/BMR-220349
M3 - Review article
C2 - 37092215
AN - SCOPUS:85164231005
SN - 1053-8127
VL - 36
SP - 957
EP - 968
JO - Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation
JF - Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation
IS - 4
ER -