Barriers and Facilitators to Physical Activity for People with Persistent Musculoskeletal Pain: Systematic Review Using the Theoretical Domains Framework

Purpose: Persistent musculoskeletal pain is a leading cause of disability and need for rehabilitation worldwide. Physical activity (PA) benefits symptoms, function and general health. This population often have limited PA levels and interventions fail to have long-term effects. Understanding barriers and facilitators to PA helps healthcare professionals more effectively support patients with PA and is important for researchers when developing interventions. A systematic review that synthesises barriers and facilitators for multiple persistent musculoskeletal pain conditions is required for a comprehensive review. The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) enables categorisation of barriers and facilitators into 14 domains. It can be used to inform future behaviour change interventions.