L'activité physique diminue la douleur

The observation that a surprising level of hypoalgesia can be noted in certain athletes led to experiments which enabled the conclusion that physical activity can modify the pain threshold. The exact physiological mechanisms were not however elucidated. In therapeutic practice, several studies of painful situations such as migraine headache, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, pain in the elderly, low back pain, and fibromyalgia have confirmed the pertinence of physical activity as a means of reducing chronic pain.