Immediate benefits of a brief 10-minute exercise protocol in a chronic pain population: a pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
Determining the acute effects of a brief, 10-minute exercise protocol on pain, mood, and perceived exertion.


METHODS
Twenty-eight subjects who were admitted to the Cleveland Clinic Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program (CPRP), and who were capable of completing an experimenter-designed and controlled treadmill protocol were included in this pilot study.


METHODS
A within-group repeated measure analysis was used to compare 28 subjects admitted to the Cleveland Clinic CPRP. Measures of heart rate were obtained using the Nellcor Oximax, pulse oximeter; measures of mood and pain were obtained using a 0-10 Likert scale, and perceived exertion measured with a visual analog scale. Each measure was taken pre- and post-10-minute exercise protocol.


RESULTS
The brief exercise protocol was associated with self-report of immediate antidepressant and anxiolytic effects. Additionally, after the 3-week CPRP, self-reports in perceived exertion decreased. Brief exercise was not found to have an acute analgesic effect.


CONCLUSIONS
This preliminary research revealed a temporal association of improvement in self-rated anxiety and depression, following a brief exercise protocol, and over the course of 3 weeks leads to decreased perceived exertion. Therefore suggesting that brief exercise is a safe, nonpharmacologic strategy for immediately improving mood, and has further implications for mortality risk.
Sullivan
Amy Burleson
AB
Neurological Institute, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. amburleson32@aol.com
Covington
Edward
E
Scheman
Judith
J
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy; D015444:Exercise; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome