Progressive resistance exercise to reduce pain in people with multiple sclerosis
Official title: EXpain - Is Exercise an Effective Non-pharmacological Analgesic Treatment in People With Multiple Sclerosis?
Run by University of Aarhus · NCT07342777 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program will test whether 12 weeks of progressive resistance exercise can reduce chronic neuropathic pain in adults with multiple sclerosis.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 116 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | University of Aarhus Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Aarhus, Denmark) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | January 15, 2026 |
| Main results expected | July 1, 2028 |
| Study ends | August 1, 2028 |
| Registry record updated | January 15, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07342777 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults (≥18) with a confirmed MS diagnosis, average pain >3/10, ability to self-transport to the site, and no recent participation in structured exercise are the intended participants.
✕Probably not a fit
People who are pregnant, have diabetes or other comorbidities that prevent safe exercise, recent MS relapse, are classified as high cardiovascular risk, or already do structured exercise regularly are unlikely to benefit from participation.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This randomized controlled trial will enroll adults with MS and average pain >3/10 and randomly assign them to a 12-week progressive resistance exercise intervention or a 24-week waitlist control with usual care, with a 12-week follow-up after the intervention. The primary outcome is clinically meaningful reduction in pain severity, and secondary outcomes include preservation of pain relief at follow-up and differences by pain type and biopsychosocial factors. Embedded substudies will examine cross-sectional links between pain and activity, acute analgesic responses to single exercise bouts, and biomarker correlates. Baseline testing, supervised exercise sessions, and outcome assessments are conducted at university sites in Denmark.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the exercise program could provide a non-drug option to lower chronic pain and improve daily function for people with MS.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies suggest exercise can reduce pain and improve function in MS and chronic pain groups, but high-quality randomized trials specifically testing progressive resistance training for MS-related neuropathic pain are still limited.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Average pain levels of \>3 on the Numerical Rating Scale from 0-10 (NRS0-10), age ≥ 18 years, a valid MS diagnosis (ICD-10 code: G35), ability to self-transport to test and exercise. Exclusion Criteria: Pregnancy, Diabetes, neurological or other comorbidities that hinder participation in the study, relapse within the past 2 months, classified as high cardiovascular risk according to the American College of Sports Medicine´s guidelines, and participation in structured exercise over the past 3 months (≥ 2 sessions/week).
Where it's running
-
Aarhus University
Aarhus, Denmark, Denmark Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Rasmus C Jungersen, PhD-student
- Email: rasjun@ph.au.dk
- Phone: +4593508304
Similar studies
Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.
-
Virtual Reality-Based Hypnotherapy to Help Pain, Sleep, and Mood in Spinal Cord Injury
Adults with spinal cord injury will try adding short VR-based hypnotherapy sessions to their standard physiotherapy to see if it reduces pain and improves sleep and mood.
-
Pain types in people with multiple sclerosis and chronic pain
This study tests how different pain types appear in people with MS who have chronic pain, to see how they relate to symptoms and quality of life.
-
Immune and signaling markers in blood and spinal fluid during spinal cord stimulation for neuropathic pain
This project tests whether measuring immune and signaling molecules in blood and cerebrospinal fluid can help explain and predict how spinal cord stimulation works for adults with chronic neuropathic pain.
-
Refining multiple AI strategies for automatic pain assessment (RUGGI)
This project tests whether AI models using wearable sensors, facial video/thermography, and physiological signals can detect and estimate pain in adults with chronic or cancer-related pain.
-
Assessing nerve activation in spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain
This study looks at how different settings on a spinal cord stimulator affect nerve activity and sensations in patients with chronic pain to help improve pain management.
-
Capsaicin patch for treating chronic pain in children
This study is testing if a special capsaicin patch can help relieve chronic pain in kids aged 12 to 17 who have pain after an injury or surgery.
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.