The Norwegians have found that if you are active for at least 30 minutes per week you will experience less chronic pain than those who are inactive.

The study conducted by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found a link between the occurrence of pain and the frequency, intensity and amount of exercise.

It has also been found that in general if people are active they have better mental health.

The study was conducted over a five year period across the general population.

3 out of 10 people studied, aged 20 years and over, said that they had suffered from constant moderate to severe pain over the last year.

Whilst the results only showed a 10% improvement in those who exercised moderately for at least 30 minutes at least 1-2 times per week than those who did no exercise, the results among older women was quite pronounced.  The pain reduction amongst these individuals  was 20-40% more than inactive individuals.

Generally speaking, if you have a very sedentary lifestyle it really would be worthwhile taking some exercise every week.  It will give you a sense of well being too!  It really doesn’t have to be a marathon!  A gentle stroll is better than nothing!  It’s never too late either to start to make small changes in our lives that will benefit us greatly.

James.