AB092. SOH21AS267. Green exercise and chronic pain: a systematic review

Background: Chronic pain affects 20% of people world-wide. It has been shown that the global decline in physical activity has resulted in huge increases in physical disability and disease and a rising number of cases of mental ill-health. Regular exercise is recognized as a key preventative measure and treatment, for many chronic conditions today with emerging evidence suggesting a physical and mental benefit with engaging in green exercise. Green Exercise is defined as any range of activities, which promote the synergistic benefits of physical activity while simultaneously being exposed to nature. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the current relationship between green exercise and chronic pain in the literature.

Methods: Search terms “chronic pain”, “green exercise”, Chronic pain + green exercise Cochrane, Wiley Online Library, MEDLINE, (others). Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied using PRISMA guidelines for structured literature reviews.

Results: Examination of the literature shows that exercise is of benefit in the management of chronic pain, with green exercise shown to promote both physical and mental wellbeing in these patients.

Conclusions: From the systematic review it is evident that there is a large gap in the literature on green exercise and chronic pain. Of the research conducted it has been shown that green exercise offers both a physical and mental benefit to chronic pain patients. Further research is needed to examine the effects of incorporating green exercise into the treatment plan for those patients suffering with chronic pain.

Keywords: Green exercise; chronic pain; efficacy