How a Physical Therapist Can Help You Re-Energize When Living with Chronic Fatigue
When it comes to your health and wellness, physical therapy Seattle can address a wide variety of ailments. This includes chronic fatigue, which is a complicated condition associated with numerous uncomfortable symptoms.
While chronic fatigue can impact your quality of life, a physical therapist can create a personalised treatment plan to get you back on track. This guide explains how the right therapy can benefit patients.
What Is Chronic Fatigue?
Chronic fatigue causes intense feelings of tiredness and low energy that persist for six months or longer. This medical disorder is also called myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS. Symptoms of chronic fatigue can include:
- Pain in the joints and muscles
- Poor sleep quality
- Issues with cognitive function
- Severe fatigue after mental and physical activities
- Physical symptoms like headaches and throat irritation
As for causes of chronic fatigue, doctors aren't totally sure what's behind the symptoms. However, the risk of chronic fatigue is highest for adult females, particularly those that have experienced complicated medical issues in the past.
Education And Manual Physical Therapy
People with chronic fatigue syndrome often have little energy to perform tasks during the day. As a result, therapists can introduce techniques to help people conserve their energy during tasks like shopping, cleaning, or even personal grooming. Regarding sleep, therapists can also help patients enhance sleep quality via rest and relaxation techniques.
Along with a lack of energy, the pain and discomfort that typically accompanies chronic fatigue can also affect daily life. That's why therapists use manual therapy, which involves a hands-on technique to soothe painful joints and other issues. Along with relieving pain, manual techniques can also reduce stiffness and boost mobility.
Strength & Mobility Exercises
One of the best aspects of visiting physical therapy clinics near me is the ability for the therapist to design customised exercise plans. Knowledgeable clinics will develop fitness regimens suited to the unique needs of chronic fatigue cases. This can entail performing the following exercises to improve strength and mobility:
- Low-impact activities
- Stretching exercises
- Walking
- Chair exercises
- Yoga
- Swimming in warm water
Because dizziness can sometimes be a factor in chronic fatigue, it's important for people to remain stable when exercising. Additionally, gentle exercises are best to prevent the joints and other bodily tissues from becoming irritated.
Benefits of Physical Therapy for Chronic Fatigue
There is no cure for chronic fatigue and researchers are still trying to gain perspective on the disorder to ensure treatments are as beneficial as possible. However, physical therapy is highly effective at treating chronic fatigue and offers the following benefits as a result:
- Improve mobility and movement
- Increased energy
- Enhanced sleep quality
- Better cognitive function and memory
- Increased muscle strength
- Reduced pain and discomfort
How to Get Help for Chronic Fatigue
If you're experiencing the effects of chronic fatigue, seeing a physical therapist in Seattle is a good first step towards recovery. The right clinic will use specific methods to increase strength, improve function, and relieve discomfort. By limiting the effects of chronic fatigue, you'll experience an enhanced quality of life on a day-to-day basis.
