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Thursday, April 14, 2011

Mission 2011: Exercises for Dysautonomia


Today I am sharing with you the exercise handout I received from my new neurologist during my visit to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

Strengthening my muscles is the purpose behind all the exercises below. Stronger muscles help prevent blood from pooling in my lower extremities when I stand, as well as help my body maintain a more consistent blood pressure. It is my understanding that my body's inability to compensate correctly when I stand is what causes me to get dizzy. While I have never fainted from standing up, I do get dizzy, light-headed and woozy.

Hopefully these exercise will help minimize these symptoms over time.

I have been instructed to start with the first three exercises, all done while laying down. Once I have mastered these, I am to add the rest of the exercises, one at a time, to my routine. After a month or so of doing all the exercises every day, I then will add some cardiovascular exercise, like biking or walking, starting at three minutes, three times a week.

The goal with my exercise program is to start out easy and work very slowly towards adding more exercise for longer periods of time. This is definitely not your typical exercise program, but it is a good fit for where I am currently with my multiple health problems that interfere with me being able to exercise in a more typical fashion.




You'll find this handout loaded into Google Docs, which will allow you to download and print it for your own personal use. Be sure to discuss it with your medical provider to make sure these exercises are right for you and your unique medical situation.

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4 comments

Allison said...

Thank you for sharing this! I was supposed to get a tilt table test to diagnose my dizziness, near fainting, etc. but can't afford it right now (and thinking about having it done kinda scares me). My doctor has already ok'd stretching, yoga, walking but I have a hard time doing anything on a regular basis (5 min on a treadmill for a couple weeks flared my CFS and fibro really bad). These exercises look like a great simple way to get exercise back into my life.

dogkisses said...

Hi. I just wanted to tell you that I'm also at a place where I must start with PT exercises and I have to start really slow too. I gathered this is what you meant by not your usual exercises. I didn't download yours b/c I have mine I guess I ought to start with. It's hard making the time and just doing them, but two years ago when I did them I began to feel much better. Things happened since then and I stopped but I have to start again to help with pain and fatigue. Thanks for the inspiration!

Anonymous said...

yay!!! thanx for sharing!

Felicia Fibro said...

I can't wait to hear how you feel that these exercise impact your symptoms! These exercises seem basic and good for anybody looking to start strengthening. I am surprised that a handout from Mayo Clinic doesn't include pictures for each exercise though.