Chronic pain was associated with increased VTE risk, and in participants with multisite chronic pain, 24-h movement behaviors partially mediated this association, with hypothetical reallocation of time from sleep to physical activity associated with lower VTE risk.
Limited chronic pain was associated with a significantly increased risk of venous thromboembolism compared to pain-free individuals.
Multisite chronic pain was associated with a greater increased risk of venous thromboembolism compared to both limited chronic pain and pain-free individuals.
24-h movement behaviors partially mediated the association between multisite chronic pain and VTE risk.
Hypothetical reallocation of one hour per day from sleep to light-intensity physical activity was associated with lower VTE risk among multisite chronic pain participants.
Hypothetical reallocation of one hour per day from sleep to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with lower VTE risk among multisite chronic pain participants.
This research suggests that people living with chronic pain face a meaningfully higher risk of developing dangerous blood clots in their veins (venous thromboembolism, or VTE), which includes conditions like deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Using data from over 450,000 UK Biobank participants, researchers found that those with pain in a limited number of body sites had a 13% higher VTE risk, while those with pain in multiple body sites (multisite chronic pain) had a 32% higher risk, compared to people without chronic pain. The study also explored how daily physical activity patterns might fit into this picture. Among the roughly 88,000 participants who wore activity trackers, the researchers found that movement behaviors — including sitting time, light activity, moderate-to-vigorous exercise, and sleep — appeared to account for about 13% of the elevated VTE risk seen in people with multisite chronic pain. Hypothetical modeling suggested that shifting one hour per day from sleep to either light-intensity physical activity or moderate-to-vigorous activity was associated with lower VTE risk in this group, with the benefit appearing larger for more intense activity. This research suggests that physical inactivity and sedentary behavior associated with chronic pain may be one pathway through which chronic pain raises the risk of blood clots. However, the authors emphasize that the movement behavior findings are exploratory and cannot prove cause and effect, nor do they provide a basis for specific clinical recommendations. The findings highlight the potential importance of understanding and addressing physical activity patterns in people living with chronic pain.
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Upload Your LabsHuang X, Gao D, Ji M, Zhang Y, Dai Y, Pan Y, et al.. (2026). 24-h movement behaviors and the association of chronic pain with venous thromboembolism risk.. Journal of clinical anesthesia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinane.2026.112227