NCT07182006

Exercise as Medicine for Pediatric Chronic Pain

Movement as Medicine: Can a Single Bout of Aerobic Exercise Elicit Exercise-induced Hypoalgesia in Youth With and Without Chronic Pain Syndromes?

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 66 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Boston Children's Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 10 Years – 17 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Youth with chronic pain struggle to go to school, play sports, or spend time with friends and family due to pain. Medications are often ineffective, and aerobic exercise may improve both pain sensitivity and participation in valued life activities. This study will be the first to examine the impact of a single session of intense aerobic exercise on pain sensitivity measures in youth with and without chronic pain syndromes to help determine if aerobic exercise can improve pain and functioning.

Detailed description

Pediatric chronic pain syndromes that occur in 11-38% of youth commonly impact participation in school, family, and recreational activities. Pediatric chronic pain and disability can persist into adulthood if left untreated. Central sensitization is an overarching mechanism of pediatric and adult chronic pain syndromes and is conceptualized as an imbalance in the facilitatory and inhibitory pathways that control pain signal traffic in the central nervous system. Aerobic exercise commonly recommended to improve pain and disability, but empirical evidence is lacking. Exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH) is a proposed mechanism by which aerobic exercise improves pain sensitivity and is characterized by improved pain sensitivity immediately following exercise. To date, EIH has not been studied in youth with chronic pain syndromes. Insights may reveal potential treatment targets and mechanisms by which aerobic exercise can improve pain and quality of life among youth suffering from chronic pain. This study aims to 1) evaluate and compare EIH responses in youth with and without chronic pain and 2) identify potential biopsychosocial contributors to EIH. The investigators hypothesize that EIH is robust in pain-free youth, and present but attenuated in youth with chronic pain (Aim 1) and that unhelpful beliefs about pain will attenuate the effects of exercise on pain sensitivity (Aim 2). Results from this study will provide highly relevant data to design a clinical trial studying the effects of chronic aerobic exercise on pain and disability in these youth. Identification of effective nonpharmacologic treatments for chronic pain, such as exercise, may also reduce dependence on prescription medications and improve child health.

Conditions

• Chronic Pain
• Child
• Adolescent

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Aerobic Exercise	Submaximal cardiovascular endurance testing on a treadmill

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-04-01
• Primary completion: 2027-01-30
• Completion: 2027-03-30
• First posted: 2025-09-19
• Last updated: 2025-09-19

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States