González-Iglesias Mario, Martínez-Benito Alexis, López-Vidal Javier Andrés, Melis-Romeu Alberto, Gómez-Rabadán Daniel Jacobo, Reina-Varona Álvaro, Di-Bonaventura Silvia, La Touche Roy, Fierro-Marrero José
Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
International Doctorate School, Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Alcorcón, Spain.
Medicina (Kaunas). 2025 Feb 25;61(3):401. doi: 10.3390/medicina61030401.
: Exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH) is a topic of interest in the scientific community. This umbrella review aimed to analyze EIH research and compare it with public dissemination on X. : We selected relevant EIH reviews that included a healthy population or patients with pain and studied exercise interventions. A systematic literature search was carried out in PubMed, Web of Science, SciELO, PEDro, and Google Scholar, employing the Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome strategy. Data were extracted and summarized, and methodological quality was assessed with the Quality Assessment Scale for Systematic Reviews, and risk of bias with the Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews tool. The Physical Activity Guidelines Advisor Committee was employed for evidence synthesis. Simultaneously, advanced X website searches gathered EIH-related content for analysis. Information from posts on X was qualitatively analyzed and contrasted with evidence in the literature. : We included nine systematic reviews and 17 narrative reviews. Systematic reviews presented high methodological quality. However, half had low risk of bias, while the other half presented high risk of bias. The EIH in healthy participants was controversial for some exercise modalities, such as aerobic exercise, and the influence of psychological variables. Modalities, such as isotonic resistance exercise, showed favorable effects on hypoalgesia. However, in patients with musculoskeletal pain, different exercise modalities did not generate EIH. X analysis unveiled a considerable representation of science-related content, although with prevalent misinterpretations of scientific evidence. : EIH has been extensively studied, yet the certainty of evidence remains limited. While some exercise modalities demonstrate hypoalgesic effects in asymptomatic individuals, these effects remain unverified in patients with musculoskeletal pain. Moreover, the analysis of social media content highlights frequent misinterpretations of scientific evidence, particularly conflating hypoalgesia with analgesia. This underscores the need for more precise, evidence-based communication on social media platforms.
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