Exercise helps relieve the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Between 5 and 20% of the Spanish population suffers from it, most women
• At first it may get worse, but playing sports helps reverse the ailments caused by CFS.

He Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) it is a disease neuroimmunological which affects between 5 and 20% of the population in Spain, mostly women between 40 and 60 years. Although it may seem like a contradiction due to the great physical and mental fatigue caused by this still little known condition, for these people sport is an important part of the treatment from which they can experience great improvements.

Among other symptoms, those suffering from CFS suffer from severe physical and mental fatigue, disorders of their year, immunodepression, lack of appetite and propensity to suffer from topical and urinary tract infections. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially recognized this syndrome as a “chronic disease that significantly affects the Health and the life quality of the people who suffer from it ”. Although there is no single treatment for the symptoms and they are usually treated separately, experts recommend that those with CFS gentle sports practice.

“Exercise can help these patients because it contributes to the creation of anti-inflammatory molecules that counteract the excess of inflammatory molecules that produce this type of patient and that are the cause of neuroimmunological imbalance they suffer ”, explains the Head of the Functional and Sports Medicine Unit at the Quironsalud Hospital, Dr. Carlos de Teresa.

Still, CFS symptoms often increase during the first few weeks of exercise practice to any degree, and this can frustrate the purposes of starting and fulfilling a fitness program as happens to our reader Ana Navarro, of Barcelona.

“It has to be recorded, that the regular practice of exercise will be basic to get an improvement, so despite the cost, we have to persist ”, explains Ivette Callorda, a professional in physical activity and physical exercise for the elderly and vulnerable groups. “At first it is an effort including standing because the movement for these diseases is related to pain,” he explains. Any chronic illness ends up creating a vicious circle of discomfort with what needs to be cut to get to feel the results.

Recommended exercises

In the first instance, to start doing physical activity it is interesting to carry out basic and simple exercises that help to reverse the deterioration which has been caused at the muscular level by him sedentary lifestyle which usually carries the SPC. “The exercise must be carried out with a follow-up and an accompaniment to make it pleasant and create adhesion. It will only be able to create a little resistance that will help to gain quality of life ”, explains Callorda.

“It is very important adapt activities, frequencies, intensities and even breaks in each case, it is not the same a person who will take years his friend SFC and no longer has any kind of physical activity in his daily routine, one that relatively recently suffers and is still able to perform some movement ”, explains Callorda.

Workouts should have strength, endurance and flexibility exercises and should be really tolerable, at low intensities and of short duration. “It usually starts with exercises in which the patient has to stand. Las neural connections with muscles are broken due to inactivity and the essentials, they recover ”, explains Teresa’s doctor. To create the mental-muscle connection it is necessary to be very conscious to perform the exercises and to think premeditatedly that the muscles want to get involved in each movement.

Progress and adherence

“It simply came to our notice then 10 minutes that as resistance is gained they lengthen to 30 minutes. The correct thing would be to add about 150 aerobic minutes a week that can be completed. Then strength exercises are introduced about two or three times a week. Always without load, with its own weight and even with bands once resistance was created ”, recommends Callorda.

The exercises of functional style for this type of illness should be easy movements and daily use as sit up and get up from a chair, performing movements with the arms to strengthen the muscles and even flexibility exercises such as crouch down and get up again. The aim is that these types of movements that are performed in everyday life are increasingly carried.

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Under normal conditions, such a patient it usually takes a few months to notice better and programs are usually designed to last between 9 and 12 months. For him, perseverance and continuing to do the prescribed exercises in order to progress can be vital.