Exercise is a well-established treatment for chronic low back pain (LBP), yet its effects on inflammation remain unclear. Examine the effects of running on inflammatory markers in chronic LBP and its associations with pain intensity, and mental health as an a priori secondary analysis. An a priori secondary analysis of a 12-week, two-arm, parallel-group randomised controlled trial was conducted. Forty adults with chronic LBP were randomised to a run-walk program or waitlist control. The intervention was a digitally delivered, remotely supervised run-walk program, prescribed three times per week for 30 minutes. Outcomes assessed included systemic inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein CRP, interleukin-8 IL-8, and tumour necrosis factor alpha TNF-α as well as pain intensity (Visual Analogue Scale), and mental health (21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale). No significant between-group differences were observed in CRP ( ß 95% CI = 0.34 -0.07, 0.74 (log-transformed scale), p = 0.109), TNF-α (-1.29 -6.15, 3.58 pg/mL, p = 0.595), or IL-8 (-0.36 -1.30, 0.58 (log-transformed scale), p = 0.443) over the 12 weeks. The associations between changes in inflammatory markers and pain intensity or mental health were not different between groups (all p > 0.05). A 12-week run-walk training did not alter systemic CRP, TNF-α, or IL-8 in adults with chronic LBP. Improvements in pain intensity were not associated with changes in these inflammatory markers. Clinically, this intervention offers a low-cost and accessible approach that provides meaningful improvements in chronic LBP without observed changes in systemic CRP, IL-8, and TNF-α. • First RCT to test running effects on systemic inflammation in chronic LBP • Running did not change CRP, TNF-α, or IL-8 versus waitlist control • Pain improvements occurred independently of changes in systemic inflammation • Running did not alter associations between inflammatory markers and pain intensity • Low-intensity running is clinically beneficial without provoking inflammation
Gollan et al. (Sun,) studied this question.
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