Systemic Inflammation Between Lifestyle and Musculoskeletal Pain

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who treat people with persistent musculoskeletal pain and who field questions about sleep, weight, stress, and inflammation.

Licensed physical therapists and physical therapist assistants in outpatient orthopedic, chronic pain, geriatric, and general rehabilitation settings. The material also suits occupational therapists and athletic trainers who counsel patients on lifestyle factors alongside musculoskeletal care.

Intended audience

Physical Therapy

Level

Intermediate

Delivery format

Online, asynchronous, self-paced course: interactive reading with audio or video, and a scored post-test.

Based on

This course is based entirely on: Josefsson D, Danielsson L, Jakobsson M. Systemic inflammation mediating the relationship between lifestyle factors and musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review. Frontiers in Pain Research. Published 01 April 2026. doi:10.3389/fpain.2026.1755744. Open access under CC BY.All findings, figures, and conclusions presented in this course trace to that article. Nothing has been added from outside sources.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Describe the question this systematic review set out to answer about systemic inflammation, lifestyle factors, and musculoskeletal pain.
2. Name the three groups of influencing factors the reviewers used to organize the included studies.
3. State what the review reported about systemic inflammation as a link between sleep disturbance and musculoskeletal pain, and between obesity and osteoarthritis.
4. Distinguish the review's finding for psychological factors, where inflammation appeared to interact rather than mediate, from its findings for sleep and obesity.
5. Explain the main limitations the authors identified and the direction of research they called for.

1. Start Here: How This Course Works
2. Podcast Lesson: Inflammation, Lifestyle, and Musculoskeletal Pain (about nine minutes)
3. The Question: Can Low-Grade Inflammation Explain How Lifestyle Reaches Pain?
4. How the Review Was Built: Searching, Screening, and Judging Study Quality
5. What the Studies Showed: Sleep, Obesity, and Psychological Factors
6. Where the Evidence Runs Thin: Mixed Measures, Snapshot Designs, and the CRP Problem
7. What This Could Mean in the Clinic
8. Key Takeaways
9. Post-Test and Course Evaluation

Quinn Millington, PT, DPT, ECS is the instructor of record: the licensed clinician who reviewed this course and signed off on it. The name and credentials print on the certificate.

Disclosures. This course was developed by The ConEd Solution, which has a financial interest in its sale. No outside funding or sponsorship was received. The instructor of record has no affiliation with the authors of the source publication or their institutions.

This course awards 0.5 contact hours (30 min). How you earn them:

1. Complete the course. Every lesson, in order.
2. Pass the post-test. Score 80% or higher. Retakes are allowed.
3. Complete the evaluation. A short form rating each learning objective and the course.
4. Download your certificate. It is issued on completion and stays available in My Account.

The episode time is its measured length. Reading, post-test and evaluation times are estimates.

This course is designed to satisfy the quality requirements state boards set for continuing education. Requirements vary by state, and confirming that a course fits your renewal is up to you. Each state’s own acceptance statement is in the credit panel on this page.

1. This course is based entirely on: Josefsson D, Danielsson L, Jakobsson M. Systemic inflammation mediating the relationship between lifestyle factors and musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review. Frontiers in Pain Research. Published 01 April 2026. doi:10.3389/fpain.2026.1755744. Open access under CC BY.
2. All findings, figures, and conclusions presented in this course trace to that article. Nothing has been added from outside sources.