eBusiness Weekly
The study states that staying physically active can help cancer survivors to reduce the intensity of persistent pain.
People who have had cancer frequently feel persistent pain, but a new study suggests that staying physically active may help reduce its intensity.
The study is published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
Although physical activity has been shown to lessen various types of pain, its effects on cancer-related pain are unclear.
To investigate, a team led by senior author Erika Rees-Punia, PhD, MPH, of the American Cancer Society, and first author Christopher T.V. Swain, PhD, of the University of Melbourne, in Australia, analysed information pertaining to 51 439 adults without a history of cancer and 10 651 adults with a past cancer diagnosis.
Participants were asked, “How would you rate your pain on average,” with responses ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable).
Participants were also asked about their usual physical activity.
US guidelines recommend 150 minutes (2 hours 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour 15 minutes) to 150 minutes (2 hours 30 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. — ANI
