Abstract

This chapter is intended to provide an overview of the research regarding exercise and muscle pain in humans, focusing on both the potential for exercise to reduce pain sensitivity and for pain to interfere with muscle function. In order to accomplish this, the chapter is divided into two sections. The first will describe the acute effects of exercise on pain in both healthy individuals and those with chronic pain conditions. The second will discuss the effects of pain on motor control systems with an emphasis on understanding how acute pain may translate into chronic pain conditions.