It's been 7 months since I started physiotherapy for, initially, left hip pain and strained medial collateral ligaments (MCL). It's been 4.5 months since I started physio for an impinged left shoulder.
Within a few months of starting physio in Oct 2008 it became clear that I was suffering from "severe deconditioning" (pervasive muscle atrophy or wasting) due to years of significant underactivity. From 2000 onwards I had been dealing with the delibitating effects of Complex PTSD (Link), depression and a severe dissociative disoder (Link), and later, an iron deficiency. During those years, my body simply didn't work properly. I was easily exhausted by any stimulus be it emotional, cognitive or physical. Being dosed up on various anti-depressants, tranquillisers and sedatives only added to my incapacity.
With this in mind, it is perhaps not surprising that the muscles in my body began to waste away, however, the inevitable weakness came as a real shock to me. I had always thought that once my brain started to work properly and was able to regulate my body correctly, then my muscles and strength would be 'there' waiting for me to use.
Not so.
According to my physiotherapist it's going to take 1-2 years of hard graft to rebuild the muscle mass I've lost throughout my body and recondition the nerves/tissues to function correctly. Until an abdominal strain 10 weeks ago, I was doing 2 hours of physiotherapy exercises every day. It was exhausting!
This makes me feel hopeless. So you aren't getting better? I suffer from deconditioning and its killing me. I've been laying down for a year and a half straight, now I have heart rate problems as well as low blood pressure and severe panic disorder.
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ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous. Things have moved on since May 2009 - my deconditioning is being reversed and my neuromuscular health is improving. For me, it's been about finding what I can do and then doing it. Any movement of the neuromuscular system (if safe) is better than none. I seem to remember seeing a 'work out' for bedridden patients - perhaps your doctor/GP can help. Also, I suggest it's important not to compare recovery timescales with others. I was pretty incapacitated for 8 years. You've been lying down 1 year. Our recoveries will be different and take different lengths of time. Good luck!
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