Table 2.
Reasons for exclusion
| Review | Reason for exclusion from overview |
| Aggarwal 2011 | Not exercise/physical activity |
| Brønfort 2015 | Protocol stage only ‐ possibly include when published as full review |
| Bierma‐Zeinstra 2011 | Protocol stage only ‐ exclude when published as full review |
| Brønfort 2014 | Withdrawn from the Cochrane Library |
| Choi 2010 | Not chronic using definition of > 3 months |
| Craane 2006 | Protocol stage only ‐ possibly include when published as full review |
| Dagfinrud 2008 | Physiotherapy ‐ required therapist to perform intervention |
| Dahm 2010 | Acute pain, not chronic. Intervention was advice |
| Dal Bello‐Haas 2013 | Malignant condition |
| de Souza 2012 | Drug‐ and surgery‐based interventions |
| Fokkenrood 2013 | Did not include RCTs (excluded studies with control groups) |
| Franke 2015 | Not exercise/physical activity |
| Green 2003 | Physiotherapy ‐ required therapist to perform intervention |
| Gross 1998 | Withdrawn from the Cochrane Library |
| Gross 2012 | Not exercise/physical activity |
| Gross 2015b | Not exercise/physical activity |
| Hayden 2012 | Protocol stage only ‐ possibly include when published as full review |
| Heintjes 2003 | Withdrawn from the Cochrane Library January 2015 |
| Henschke 2010 | Not exercise/physical activity |
| Heymans 2004 | Exercise could not be assessed as stand‐alone intervention |
| Hilde 2006 | Withdrawn from the Cochrane Library |
| Hoving 2014 | No exercise intervention, and no pain outcome measure |
| Hurley 2013 | Protocol stage only ‐ exclude when published as full review |
| IJzelenberg 2011 | Protocol stage only ‐ exclude when published as full review |
| Jones 2000 | Drug‐based interventions |
| Jordan 2010 | Intervention to improve adherence to exercise, not exercise itself |
| Kamper 2014 | Exercise could not be assessed as stand‐alone intervention |
| Karjalainen 1999 | Exercise could not be assessed as stand‐alone intervention |
| Karjalainen 2003 | Exercise could not be assessed as stand‐alone intervention |
| Larun 2016 | Chronic fatigue, not chronic pain |
| Liddle 2015 | Pain in pregnancy only, not chronic pain |
| Liu 2013 | Protocol stage only ‐ unsure about inclusion when published as full review |
| Miller 2014 | Protocol stage only ‐ exclude when published as full review |
| Moi 2013 | Exercise could not be assessed as stand‐alone intervention |
| O'Brien 2004 | No pain outcome measure |
| O'Connell 2013 | Overview of reviews, not systematic review |
| Østerås 2013 | Protocol stage only ‐ possibly include when published as full review |
| Page 2012 | No pain outcome measure |
| Page 2014 | Manual therapy ‐ required therapist to perform intervention |
| Peters 2013 | Exercise could not be assessed as stand‐alone intervention |
| Preston 2004 | No pain outcome measure |
| Proctor 2007 | Exercise could not be assessed as stand‐alone intervention |
| Radner 2012 | Drug‐based interventions |
| Regnaux 2014 | Protocol stage only ‐ possibly include when published as full review |
| Richards 2012 | Not exercise/physical activity |
| Riemsma 2003 | Not exercise/physical activity |
| Schaafsma 2013 | No pain outcome measure |
| Steultjens 2004 | Occupational therapy ‐ exercise could not be assessed as stand‐alone intervention |
| Stones 2005 | Exercise cannot be assessed as stand‐alone intervention |
| Takken 2008 | Aged < 18 years ‐ not adults |
| van Dessel 2014 | Not chronic pain and no specific pain outcome measure |
| White 2004 | No pain outcome measure |
| Williams 2012 | Not exercise/physical activity |
| Zammit 2010 | Surgery or required therapist to perform intervention |
RCT: randomised controlled trial.