Exercise for Myasthenia Gravis: a necessity not a luxury


Exercise: a necessity not a luxury.

If I saw this post a year ago, I would never have clicked on it. I was always tired and felt like a barely made it through the day. When people traditionally talk about exercise routines words like 'sweat' 'pushing the limits' 'weight loss' 'body building' jump to mind. While most chronic Warriors would love to engage in this type of exercise, it is unrealistic for the majority of us. A regular exercise routine has helped me to improve my health, therefore I wanted to share my insight with you. 


Suffering from Myasthenia Gravis, exercise can sometimes be seen as contradictory. In short, the strain on our voluntary muscles makes them weaker. However, we still need our muscles to move and engage in life or we risk becoming complete couch potatoes. Therefore a guided balance is needed.





Literature notes the following benefits of exercise therapy for chronic diseases: 1 2 3 

-         Improving muscle strength without having detrimental effects on disease progression
-         Decrease in pain
-         Reduced chance of developing metabolic syndrome
-         Decrease blood pressure
-         Decrease need for hospitalisation
-         Reducing muscle fatigue
-         improved body image, mood, and well-being
-         Increasing endurance

Before you start here are the 5 things you need to do: 

- Get good advice 

Firstly seek advice from your Doctor/ Specialist. They can also refer you to allied health professionals i.e. Physiotherapist or Biokineticist. The specific role of exercise prescription in the management of MG has not yet been established, therefore don’t just sign up with a professional trainer with no knowledge of MG.



- Have a goal

It may not be running a marathon, It may be having enough strength to sit up through a whole meal. No goal is too small. Make sure it’s something you can reach, or you could become discouraged if it never happens.




- Pacing is Important!  

Your muscles may need many small sessions over a long period of time to respond. If you push yourself to your limits, it is likely you will rather end up in a crisis state.







- Choose something you love to do. 

If you hate the smell of the gym, like me, I can guarantee you'll only go once or twice. I love my dog agility. I love being out in nature with my dogs and wobbling around a course. It could even be having enough upper limb strength to put on your makeup! I have even recommended pushing a shopping trolly around a food market for one client who loved cooking and was trying to build endurance. 




- Get support

Don't try to do this alone. Once you have worked out a program, join a team or have a buddy with you. This is both for your safety as well as to add external motivation. 






Comments

  1. Anonymous22 January 2017 at 03:52

    Good advice but must be extremely hard for someone with MG since the issue of strength is so critical. Concern about 'doing too much' becoming excessively tired or harming oneself must weigh heavily on a person's mind. Finding the right professional and medical resource to provide advice and council may be the hardest thing to do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Snowflakes and Spoons23 January 2017 at 07:57

      Thank you for your comment. Yes the right professional advice is key. Learning Energy conservation techniques helps tremendously.

      Delete
    2. Jake Van21 August 2023 at 11:52

      I am a retired navy veteran and was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis in September 2020. After a bout of left ear infection and TMD (Temporomandibular disorder), symptoms persisting were eyelid drooping, slurred speech, drooling and overall muscle weakness in the left hand grip, increased fatigue and unsteady walking. I'm now taking www. madibaherbalcenter . com herbal cure (3 months) and I have been receiving a great improvement since I started the remedy, I find joy in being able to go out by myself and catch a movie. “It’s been wonderful, and it’s been life-changing.

      Delete
  2. Kat23 January 2017 at 11:41

    This is great advice. I don't have MG, but other chronic pain conditions that mean that building muscle is very important. My husband, who is my faithful best advocate, read the top recommended book for exercises for my condition, and we are going to start training today, very slowly. Gulp!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Snowflakes and Spoons23 January 2017 at 15:55

      Glad to hear you have started your journey! Let me know it goes. Remember pacing is key, it was the tortoise that won the race not the hare!

      Delete
  3. Danielle Walk7 March 2017 at 22:46

    Hi Candice! I work for the Myasthenia Gravis Association of MO, KS & NW Arkansas and thought this blog was really great. We were hoping we would be able to share it on Facebook and/or in our next newsletter. Would that be ok? We would defiantly give you recognition. Let me know :)

    Danielle Walk
    dwalk@mgakc.org

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Snowflakes and Spoons8 March 2017 at 06:59

      Thanks so much Danielle! I have sent you an email. Always happy to assist.

      Delete
  4. sachisha14 August 2017 at 16:52

    Your blog has very good tips. Thank you for sharing with us. More power to you. I also write on MG. You can check my blog on

    https://sachisha.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous25 July 2018 at 11:54

    It is very informative. You have given a fresh outlook on the topic. I would definitely share this on other platforms as well.
    If you are have been planning on hitting the Daily Fitness Exercise,
    try Fit O’ Clock. It is the best gym in Jaipur. It is equipped with advanced machines
    (not found elsewhere in Jaipur) and has the best trainers for gym-goers.


    ReplyDelete
  6. Herbs Solutions By Nature1 April 2019 at 12:57

    Home Remedies for Myasthenia Gravis is meant at reducing the symptoms and correcting immune dysfunction. Natural Treatment for Myasthenia Gravis program may help to raise immune resistance. In some cases MG may go into remission during home remedies for Myasthenia Gravis can be modified or reduced.

    https://www.herbs-solutions-by-nature.com/Myasthenia-Gravis.php

    ReplyDelete
  7. happyfitnesses@gmail.com30 August 2019 at 05:45

    Awesome blog!This blog gives very important information.Thanks for sharing visit at exercise

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jerry Atson3 December 2019 at 08:20

    I had myasthenia gravis since 2015. I got medically discharged out of the Army, a job I loved well. My heart had 5 myasthenic crises, 3 being severe enough to be ventilated or require CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) helmet. I have had countless plasma exchanges as my veins are bad. I also needed Hickman lines inserted. I have been on azathioprine, mycophenolate (CellCept), methotrexate and none have worked. I'm currently done with my herbal remedy I purchase from totalcureherbsfoundation .com which has totally cured my condition with a surprise after almost four months of their usage, I was discouraged and never thought I would be myasthenia gravis (MG) free ,to me the best to get rid of this condition is totalcureherbsfoundation com treatment because all medications I used never worked include mycophenolate (CellCept)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Cherry Dotman30 September 2024 at 04:41

    My partner was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease at 68. His symptoms were shuffling of feet, slurred speech, low volume speech, degradation of handwriting, horrible driving skills, right arm held at 45 45-degree angle. Things were tough for me, I too was diagnosed with COPD but now we are both finally free from these diseases with the help of Madiba herbal center, He now walks properly and all symptoms have reversed. He had trouble with balance especially at night, getting into the shower and getting excited is difficult. Getting into bed is also another thing he finds impossible. We had to find a better solution for our condition which has really helped us a lot,The biggest help we had was at www madibaherbalcenter com They walked us through the proper steps, I highly recommend this herbal formula to anyone who needs help.xx

    ReplyDelete

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