3. Characteristics of included reviews.

Review and Cochrane Review Group	Assessed as up to date	Chronic pain condition	Duration of pain/ diagnosis	Intervention description	Control description	Outcomes with data reported	Time points reported
Bartels 2007 Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group	Aug 2007	Hip or knee OA	Not reported	All types of exercises developed in the therapeutic/heated indoor pool (ROM, dynamics, aerobics, etc.) were permitted.	No treatment or other treatment.	Function, quality of life, mental health, pain, adverse events	Post‐intervention (immediate), 6‐month follow‐up
Bidonde 2014 Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group	Oct 2013	Fibromyalgia	12 yr (range 6 to 24)	Aquatic exercise training intervention defined as "exercise conducted in a vertical standing position."	Treatment as usual, physical activity as usual, wait list control, placebo or sham, education‐only, water immersion‐only, and attention only.	Multi‐dimensional function (wellness), self‐reported physical function (wellness), pain (symptoms), stiffness (symptoms), muscle strength (physical fitness), submaximal cardiorespiratory function (physical fitness), withdrawals (safety and acceptability), adverse effects (safety and acceptability)	Post‐intervention (4 to 32 wk)
Boldt 2014 Cochrane Injuries Group	Mar 2011	Spinal cord injury	Mean 66 months, and 1 to 24 yr when reported	"Exercise": stretching and strengthening exercises aimed at mobilising painful shoulder joint.	Wait list control or no intervention.	Pain, depression, quality of life, adverse effects	Short term (within 24 hours of last intervention, i.e. post‐intervention) and intermediate term (1 to 6 wk post‐intervention) and long term (> 6 wk post‐intervention)
Brown 2010 Cochrane Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group	Aug 2009	Primary dysmenorrhoea in the majority (≥ 50%) of cycles	Ongoing/not appropriate	12‐wk walk or jog training programme at an intensity of 70% to 85% of the HR range. Training for 3 days/wk and duration of aerobic phase was 30 minutes with 15‐minute warm‐up and cool‐down periods.	Asked not to exercise during the experimental period.	Pain: menstrual disorders questionnaire (MDQ) score	Ongoing ‐ over 3 menstrual cycles
Busch 2007 Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group	Aug 2007	Fibromyalgia	Not reported	Exercise‐only interventions included aerobic‐only training, strength‐only training, flexibility‐only training, or mixed exercise‐only interventions.	"Untreated."	Pain, global wellbeing, objectively measured physical function	Post‐intervention (strength exercise 21 wk, aerobic exercise 6 to 23 wk)
Busch 2013 Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group	Mar 2013	Fibromyalgia	mean range from 4 yrs (SD 3.1) to 12 yrs (SD 4)	Defined resistance training as exercise performed against a progressive resistance on a minimum of 2 days/wk (on non‐consecutive days) with the intention of improving muscle strength, muscle endurance, muscle power, or a combination of these.	Untreated control conditions (treatment as usual, activity as usual, wait list control, and placebo), other types of exercise or physical activity interventions (e.g. aerobic, flexibility), and other resistance training interventions (head‐to‐head comparisons).	Multi‐dimensional function, self‐reported physical function, pain, tenderness, muscle strength, adverse effects, all‐cause attrition	Post‐intervention, follow‐up (12 wk) in 1 study only
Cramp 2013 Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group	Oct 2012	Rheumatoid arthritis	Not reported	Included pool‐based therapy (twice/wk, moderate intensity, music‐paced), yoga (6 wk, twice/wk, 1.5‐hour sessions), dynamic strength training (home‐based after inpatient programme, all main muscle groups using dumbbells and elastic bands), stationary cycling (70% HRmax, 5 minute excluding: 1‐minute of rest, increased duration), low‐impact aerobics (class at fitness centre and video at home, individual HR targets), tai chi (1‐hour group sessions).	"Could have been placebo, an alternative intervention (pharmacological or non‐pharmacological) or usual care."	Fatigue, pain, anxiety, depression, disability, tender and swollen joints, adverse events	Post‐intervention (only a single time point analysed)
Fransen 2014 Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group	May 2013	Hip OA	Not reported	Any land‐based therapeutic exercise regimens aiming to relieve the symptoms of hip OA, regardless of content, duration, frequency, or intensity. This included any exercise designed to improve muscle strength, range of joint movement or aerobic capacity (or combinations of the three). Programmes could be designed and supervised by physiotherapists or other professionals, or provided as a home programme with minimal monitoring.	Wait‐list control, usual care, GP education.	Self‐reported pain, physical function, quality of life, withdrawal or dropouts, adverse events	post‐intervention (immediate in 9/10 studies) follow‐up 3 to 6 months
Fransen 2015 Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group	May 2013	Knee OA	Often not reported: some less than 1yr, others over 10yr	"land‐based therapeutic exercise." Along with delivery mode and content, treatment 'dosage' (duration, frequency, intensity) varied widely between studies.	No exercise: active (any no‐exercise intervention) or no treatment (including waiting list).	Knee pain, self‐reported physical function, quality of life	Immediately at the end of treatment (post‐treatment), 2 to 6 months after cessation of monitored study treatment and longer than six months after cessation of monitored study treatment
Gross 2015a Cochrane Back Group	May 2014	Mechanical neck disorders	"Chronic" (not subacute or acute)	Cervical stretch/ROM exercises + cervical/scapulothoracic strengthening + static/dynamic cervical/shoulder stabilisation.	Wait list control.	Pain intensity, function, quality of life, global perceived effect, adverse effects	Immediately post‐treatment (≤ 1 day), short‐term follow‐up (1 day to 3 months), intermediate‐term follow‐up (3 months up to, but not including, 1 yr), and long‐term follow‐up (≥ 1 yr)
Han 2004 Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group	Apr 2004	Rheumatoid arthritis	Not reported	Only trials of exercise programmes with tai chi instruction or incorporating principles of tai chi philosophy.	Not reported.	Function, tender and swollen joints, ROM, strength, enjoyment, withdrawals, adverse effects	Post‐intervention (8 to 10 wk)
Hayden 2005 Cochrane Back Group	Sep 2004	Non‐specific low back pain	Chronic, i.e. longer than 12 wk: 5.6 yr (95% CI 3.4 to 7.8)	Exercise therapy defined as "a series of specific movements with the aim of training or developing the body by a routine practice or as physical training to promote good physical health;" only 54% adequately described the exercise intervention.	No exercise: no treatment or placebo treatment, other conservative therapy, or another exercise group.	Pain, functional ability, work status, global assessment, adverse events	Earliest, 6 wk, 6 months, 12 months
Hurkmans 2009 Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group	Jun 2009	Rheumatoid arthritis	5 to 14 yr	Dynamic exercise programmes ‐ aerobic capacity and muscle strength training; short‐term muscle strength training (high quality); short‐term dynamic exercise to improve aerobic capacity (not high methodological quality); exercise frequency of at least 20 minutes twice a week. Duration of exercise programme at least 6 wk (duration < 3 months was considered short‐term; duration > 3 months was considered long‐term). Exercise programme performed under supervision. Aerobic exercise intensity at least 55% of the maximum HR; or intensity starting at 40% to 50% of the maximum oxygen uptake reserve or HR maximum reserve. Furthermore, the intensity was increased up to 85% during the intervention. Progressively strengthening exercise loads starting at 30% to 50% and increasing to 80% of maximum (defined as the percentage of either 1 repetition maximum, 1 MVC, maximum speed, or as maximal subjective exertion).	Not reported	Functional ability, aerobic capacity, muscle strength, safety (pain and radiological damage)	Follow‐up (12 wk and 24 months)
Koopman 2015 Cochrane Neuromuscular Group	Jul 2014	Postpolio syndrome (PPS)	Not reported	Exercise therapy (e.g. aerobic exercise, muscle strengthening exercise, respiratory muscle training, warm climate training, hydro training).	Placebo, usual care or no treatment.	Self‐perceived activity limitations, muscle strength, muscle endurance, fatigue, pain, adverse events (minor and serious)	3 and 6 months
Lane 2014 Cochrane Peripheral Vascular Diseases Group	Sep‐2013	intermittent claudication	not reported	Any exercise programme used in the treatment of intermittent claudication was included, such as walking, skipping and running. Inclusion of trials was not affected by the duration, frequency or intensity of the exercise programme but these issues were taken into account in the meta‐analysis	Exercise was compared to six different modes of treatment, the most common being usual care or placebo. Two early trials compared exercise with placebo tablets but in more recent studies usual care was used as the control comparator. Exercise was compared with the following drug therapies: antiplatelet agents pentoxifylline, iloprost, and vitamin E. One study compared exercise with pneumatic foot and calf compression.	maximal walking time, pain‐free walking time, pain‐free walking distance, maximum walking distance, ankle brachial index (ABI), peak exercise calf blood flow, mortality, amputation	Post‐intervention, 3‐month follow up, six‐month follow up
Lauret 2014 Cochrane Peripheral Vascular Diseases Group	Jul 2013	Intermittent claudication	Not reported	Supervised walking programme needed to be supervised at least twice a week for a consecutive 6 wk of training.	Alternative exercise.	Maximum walking distance (METs), pain‐free walking distance (METs), health‐related quality of life and functional impairment	n/a
Regnaux 2015 Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group	Jun 2014	Hip or knee OA	> 6 months	High‐intensity physical activity or exercise programme.	Low‐intensity physical activity or exercise programme and control (no‐exercise) group in 1 study.	Pain, physical function, quality of life, adverse effects (related to intervention), severe adverse events or withdrawal (due to intervention)	Post‐intervention, intermediate term (6 to 12 months), long‐term (over 12 months) follow‐up
Saragiotto 2016 Cochrane Back and Neck Group	Apr 2015	Low back pain	> 12 wk	MCE: activation of the deep trunk muscles, targeting the restoration of control and co‐ordination of these muscles.	Placebo, no treatment, another active treatment, or when MCE was added as a supplement to other interventions. When MCE was used in addition to other treatments, it had to represent at least 50% of the total treatment programme to be included.	Pain intensity and disability, function, quality of life, global impression of recovery, return to work, adverse events and recurrence	Post‐intervention, short term (4 to 10 wk), intermediate term (3 to 6 months), long term (12 to 36 months)
Silva 2010 Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group	Jun 2009	Rheumatoid arthritis	No studies found	Balance training (proprioceptive training).	No intervention or other intervention.	ACR‐50, pain, disease activity score (DAS), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ for function), gait, adverse effects, discontinuation rate	n/a
van der Heijden 2015 Cochrane Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Group	May 2014	Adolescents and adults with patellofemoral pain	3 wk to 8 months (as minimum requirement); reported pain 4 wk to 9 yr	Exercise therapy for patellofemoral pain syndrome; exercises could be performed at home or under supervision of a therapist ‐ various descriptions in the included trials, including knee exercises, hip and knee exercises, home exercises, supervised exercises, closed kinetic chain, open kinetic chain.	No treatment, placebo, or waiting list controls. This also included 'exercise therapy + another intervention (e.g. taping) versus the other intervention alone (e.g. taping).'	Pain during activity, usual pain, functional ability, recovery	4‐ to 12‐wk follow‐up (short term) and 16 wk to 12 months (long term)
Yamato 2015 Cochrane Back Group	Mar 2014	Low back pain	Acute, subacute, chronic (i.e. no minimum)	Explicitly stated as based on Pilates principles, or the therapists who provided the interventions had previous training in Pilates exercises or the therapists were described as certified Pilates instructors	No intervention, placebo, or other interventions.	Pain intensity, disability, global impression of recovery, quality of life, return to work, adverse effects	Short term (4 to 8 wk), intermediate term (3 to 6 months)

ACR: American College of Rheumatology; GP: general practitioner; HR: heart rate; MCE: motor control exercise; MET: metabolic equivalents; n/a: not applicable; OA: osteoarthritis; ROM: range of motion; wk: week; yr: year.